WASHINGTON ― White House chief strategist Steve Bannon has been removed from the National Security Council, White House sources told The Huffington Post Wednesday.
Bloomberg first reported the news, which was part of a larger NSC shake-up revealed in a White House regulatory filing released Wednesday.
Bannon retains the highest national security clearance possible, aides to President Donald Trump told Bloomberg’s Jennifer Jacobs, and he remains a top adviser with strong views. He was included in an NSC meeting Wednesday afternoon, an official told Jacobs.
“Bannon still has immense interest in national security and he’ll still offer advice,” said Alex Ward, an analyst at the Atlantic Council think tank who closely watches Trump’s foreign policy. “Bannon still cares deeply about Iran and ‘radical Islamic terrorism.’ He will still offer his advice on how to curb Iran’s regional rise and defeat [the so-called Islamic State], among other terror groups. He’ll also offer more dovish recommendations regarding Russia.”
Lt. Gen. H.R. McMaster, Trump’s national security adviser, pushed for the change, according to The New York Times.
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