White House defends Bannon’s security role.
Spicer says his inclusion shows ‘transparency’
The White House WASHINGTON on Monday continued to defend President Trump’s decision to include his chief strategist, Stephen Bannon, as part of the National Security Council, while seeming to make attendance at council meetings optional for the director of national intelligence and chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
Press secretary Sean Spicer cast criticism of the move as much ado about nothing and said Obama political adviser David Axelrod and press secretary Robert Gibbs also attended NSC meetings.
Bannon is specifically included as a member of the NSC, while Axelrod and Gibbs were not. Spicer said during his Monday briefing that Bannon’s inclusion was an example of “transparency.”
Spicer tried to highlight the similarities between Trump’s directive and those issued by former presidents Obama and George W. Bush. However, while Trump included Bannon on the “principals committee,” the “Cabinet-level senior inter-agency forum for considering policy issues that affect the national security interests of the United States,” the director of national intelligence and chairman of the Joint Chiefs were listed as optional members of that committee.
Obama listed those two officials as “regular members” of that committee.
Trump’s directive does mirror George W. Bush’s from 2001, which said the director of the CIA ( before the creation of the national intelligence director post) and the chairman of the Joint Chiefs should attend committee meetings when “issues pertaining to their responsibilities and expertise are to be discussed.”
Spicer said that Trump has tremendous respect for the chairman of the Joint Chiefs and director of national intelligence and that they are “always welcome to attend NSC meetings.” In some cases, however, he said their attendance might not be necessary, for example in the case of discussing a threat from a pandemic flu.
“We recognize that certain homeland security issues may not be military issues,” Spicer said.
The National Security Council was established in 1947 to advise the president and present viewpoints and policies from across the military and federal agencies and departments. Every administration typically issues a directive laying out the organization of the council.
But critics of Trump’s directive, issued in a memorandum Saturday, say they are worried about the inclusion of Bannon, a former Breitbart News editor. Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., praised many of Trump’s national security picks, including Defense Secretary Jim Mattis, Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly and national security adviser Michael Flynn. But he said Sunday that Trump’s reorganization of the council is “of concern.”
“I am worried about the National Security Council. Who are the members of it and who are the permanent members? The appointment of Mr. Bannon is something which is a radical departure from any National Security Council in history,” McCain said on Face the Nation on CBS.
Democrats offered much harsher criticism. House Minority Whip Rep. Steny Hoyer, DMd., called Bannon’s inclusion an “outrageous, incompetent move” that sends the message that “ideology and partisan politics will be injected into the process of decision-making over questions of national security.”
Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., said it is “dangerous and unprecedented. He must be removed.”
President George W. Bush specifically excluded his chief political adviser Karl Rove from council meetings, but Spicer said on MSNBC that Bannon “isn’t playing Karl Rove’s part” in the Trump administration.
“Steve has an extensive military background, extensive background in geopolitical affairs, and the assumption that he’s playing the same role as Karl Rove is just not accurate,” Spicer said on MSNBC.
“The appointment of Mr. Bannon is something which is a radical departure from any National Security Council in history.” Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz.