Deputy national security adviser to leave White House
WASHINGTON: Deputy national security adviser Dina Powell will be leaving the administration of US President Donald Trump early next year, the White House has announced, in the first of what is expected to be a round of departures in the new year.
White House spokeswoman Sarah Huckabee Sanders said in a statement that Powell had always planned to serve for a year before returning home to New York. She is expected to continue working with the administration on Middle East policy issues from outside the White House, Sanders said.
National security adviser H.R. McMaster in a statement called Powell an “invaluable member” of the president’s team and praised her as one of “the most talented and effective leaders with whom I have ever served.”
He added: “Her sage advice helped provide options to the president and her strong relationships across the US government and internationally helped drive execution of the president’s decisions.”
Powell was originally hired to work on economic development at the behest of Trump’s daughter Ivanka Trump and his son-in-law, Jared Kushner.
But the Egyptian-American with international experience and fluency in Arabic was quickly tapped for the national security team when McMaster took over after Michael Flynn’s dismissal just 24 days into Trump’s term.
Powell’s foreign policy experience was forged under Condoleezza Rice, who brought her into the State Department when George W. Bush’s administration was trying to improve Middle East diplomacy.
Born in Cairo, Powell moved to the US with her family at the age of four and had to learn to speak English. Entering Republican politics at a young age, Powell put herself through the University of Texas by working in the state legislature.
Kushner applauded Powell’s work, including her efforts to help force a peace deal in the Middle East. “She will continue to play a key role in our peace efforts and we will share more details on that in the future,” he said in a statement.