Tag Archives: National Security Council

The Washington Post reports: Scores of staffers at the White House National Security Council were abruptly dismissed Friday, as the Trump administration moved to dramatically downsize the coordinating body, according to people familiar with the matter. For decades under both parties, the NSC has been composed “almost entirely of apolitical experts” on every significant issue to help the president manage …

CNN reports: A significant overhaul of the National Security Council at the White House is expected in the coming days, including a staff reduction and a reinforced top-down approach with decision-making concentrated at the highest levels, three senior Trump administration officials told CNN. Staffed by dozens of foreign policy experts from across the US government, the NSC typically serves as …

NPR reports: Tim Morrison, the top Russia official on President Trump’s National Security Council, who is scheduled to testify in the impeachment inquiry on Thursday, is expected to leave his White House post imminently, three sources familiar with the plan told NPR. Morrison, a conservative hawk who has served as the senior director for European and Russian affairs on the …

NBC News reports: Melania Trump has ensured the departure of one White House official, deputy national security adviser Mira Ricardel, after she had a series of run-ins with the first lady’s office. Stephanie Grisham, the first lady’s communications director, issued a pointed statement on Tuesday saying as much. “It is the position of the Office of the First Lady that …

Politico reports: A top National Security Council official was forced out this week, the latest staffing change at the White House-based group since President Donald Trump named John Bolton his national security adviser in March. Jennifer Arangio, a senior director in the NSC division that deals with international organizations, was let go Thursday, according to a former White House official …

NBC News reports: A year ago today, Donald Trump’s newly sworn–in national security adviser, Michael Flynn, met privately in his West Wing office with FBI investigators interested in his communications with Russia’s ambassador, without a lawyer or the knowledge of the president and other top White House officials, according to people familiar with the matter. Flynn’s FBI interview on Jan. …

CNN reports: President Donald Trump on Friday did not dismiss the idea of pardoning former national security adviser Michael Flynn after he pleaded guilty earlier this month to lying to the FBI about conversations with Russia’s ambassador to the US. Asked whether he would consider a pardon for Flynn, Trump told reporters on the White House South Lawn Friday morning …

CNBC reports: President Donald Trump’s former national security adviser Michael Flynn is expected to plead guilty Friday to lying to the FBI about his post-election discussions with Russia’s ambassador to the United States. A plea hearing for Flynn, the first Trump administration official charged in the ongoing Russia probe, has been scheduled for 10:30 a.m. in Washington, D.C. federal court, …

CNN reports that Special Counsel Robert Mueller has charged former Trump national security advisor Michael Flynn with “willfully and knowingly” making “false, fictitious and fraudulent statements” to the FBI regarding conversations with Russia’s ambassador. Bloomberg reports: Flynn is scheduled to appear at a plea hearing in a Washington D.C. court at 10:30 a.m. The charge against Flynn, 58, adds another …

CNN reports: Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s team has postponed an anticipated grand jury testimony linked to his investigation into Michael Flynn amid growing indications of possible plea deal discussions. Additional witnesses were expected to be questioned soon including a public relations consultant hired by Flynn’s lobbying firm who was given an early December date deadline to appear before the grand …

The New York Times reports: Lawyers for Michael T. Flynn, President Trump’s former national security adviser, notified the president’s legal team in recent days that they could no longer discuss the special counsel’s investigation, according to four people involved in the case — an indication that Mr. Flynn is cooperating with prosecutors or negotiating a deal. Mr. Flynn’s lawyers had …

Buzzfeed News reports: National Security Adviser H.R. McMaster mocked President Trump’s intelligence at a private dinner with a powerful tech CEO, according to five sources with knowledge of the conversation. Over a July dinner with Oracle CEO Safra Catz — who has been mentioned as a candidate for several potential administration jobs — McMaster bluntly trashed his boss, said the …

Politico reports: The Pentagon’s inspector general is now investigating Michael Flynn over payments he received from foreign governments after retiring from the Army, according to documents released Thursday by the top Democrat on the House Oversight Committee. The documents also show the Defense Intelligence Agency warned Flynn after his 2014 retirement as the agency’s director that he was barred from …

The Hill reports: National Security Adviser H.R. McMaster on Sunday said defended the decision for a Carrier strike group to head toward the Korean Peninsula. “It’s prudent to do it, isn’t it?” McMaster said on “Fox News Sunday.” “North Korea has been engaged in a pattern of provocative behavior. This is a rogue regime that is now a nuclear capable …

NBC News reports: The National Security Council has presented President Trump with options to respond to North Korea’s nuclear program — including putting American nukes in South Korea or killing dictator Kim Jong-un, multiple top-ranking intelligence and military officials told NBC News. Both scenarios are part of an accelerated review of North Korea policy prepared in advance of President Donald …

Via Breitbart: One day after what was demonstrably one of the most-covered stories by the media focused on the “removal” of Steve Bannon, President Trump’s top adviser, from the National Security Council (NSC), he attended a council meeting, the Washington Examiner reported on Thursday. “White House chief strategist Steve Bannon has attended the first meeting of the National Security Council …

The New York Times reports: Mr. Bannon resisted the move, even threatening at one point to quit if it went forward, according to a White House official who, like others, insisted on anonymity to discuss internal deliberations. Mr. Bannon’s camp denied that he had threatened to resign and spent the day spreading the word that the shift was a natural …

The New York Daily News reports: After a turn tangoing on reality TV, Rick Perry has danced himself into the heights of power. The longtime Texas governor survived a dip in his political star after the implosion of his 2012 presidential campaign and has now been named to the National Security Council Principals Committee months after appearing on “Dancing With …

Bloomberg reports: President Donald Trump reorganized his National Security Council on Wednesday, removing his chief strategist, Stephen Bannon, and downgrading the role of his Homeland Security Adviser, Tom Bossert, according to a person familiar with the decision and a regulatory filing. National Security Adviser H.R. McMaster was given responsibility for setting the agenda for meetings of the NSC or the …

NBC News reports: Former National Security Adviser Susan Rice on Tuesday denied that she sought to improperly “unmask” Trump campaign officials whose conversations were caught on surveillance by U.S. intelligence services. “The allegation is that somehow the Obama administration officials utilized intelligence for political purposes, ” Rice said in an exclusive interview with NBC’s Andrea Mitchell. “That’s absolutely false.” Rice …