Trump drops Steve Bannon from National Security Council
The White House dismisses rumours of a power struggle between chief strategist Bannon and national security adviser McMaster
Washington — US President Donald Trump removed his chief strategist Steve Bannon from the National Security Council on Wednesday, reversing his controversial decision early this year to give a political adviser an unprecedented role in security discussions. Trump’s overhaul of the NSC, confirmed by a White House official, also elevated Gen Joseph Dunford, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and Dan Coats, the director of National Intelligence who heads all 17 US intelligence agencies. The official said the change moves the NSC "back to its core function of what it’s supposed to do". It also appears to mark a victory by national security adviser HR McMaster, who had told some national security experts he felt he was in a battle to the death with Bannon and others on the White House staff. Trump’s White House team has grappled with infighting and palace intrigue. In recent days, several other senior US foreign policy and national security officials have said the mechanisms for shapi...
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