U.S. President Donald Trump has removed White House strategist Steve Bannon from his permanent seat on the National Security Council (NSC), although he is still permitted to attend meetings at the invitation of the National Security Adviser.
“[Former National Security Adviser] Susan Rice operationalized the NSC during the last administration,” Bannon said in a statement issued Wednesday afternoon. “I was put on to ensure that it was de-operationalized. [National Security Adviser] General [H.R.] McMaster has returned the NSC to its proper function,” he said.
Former National Security Adviser Lt.-Gen. Michael Flynn was appointed initially as the National Security Adviser, with Bannon given a seat on the NSC allegedly to make sure Flynn carried out a directive to de-politicize the body, Fox News reported.
Flynn was subsequently dismissed after misleading Vice President Mike Pence about conversations he held with a Russian official.