President Trump’s chief strategist Steve Bannon has been removed from National Security Council, a White House official told Reuters.
The decision to remove Bannon was made by Trump, according to the Associated Press. It reverses an unpopular decision that Trump made when he named Bannon to the NSC in the first place, as many felt it was inappropriate for a political adviser to make decisions on national security matters.
A new memo published Wednesday on the Federal Register about the composition of the NSC no longer lists Bannon as a member of the Principal’s Committee — a group of high-ranking officials that assemble on pressing national security issues.
The shakeup restores the director of national intelligence and the Joint Chiefs chairman to the Principal’s Committee, according to the AP.
Bannon, who ran right-wing organization Breitbart News until joining Trump’s team, is often credited for shaping Trump rhetoric — especially when things the president says get called into question by the media, which Bannon refers to as the “opposition party.”
Bannon also has significant ties to Hollywood and invested in several movies that cater to the political right. He was an early investor in “Seinfeld.” Yes, the television show. You can read more about it here.
Back in January, Bannon said the “media should be embarrassed and humiliated and keep its mouth shut and just listen for a while,” when speaking to the New York Times.
When Bannon was named CEO of Trump’s campaign in August, critics on social media went wild, accusing him of being racist and anti-Semitic. Bannon’s ex-wife said in a 2007 divorce filing that he made anti-Semitic comments and didn’t want to send their daughters to a private Los Angeles girls school with Jews. Bannon denied the claims.
Wednesday’s decision to remove Bannon from the NSC could be a sign that Bannon doesn’t see eye-to-eye with the president on issues of national security. However, Bannon will remain Trump’s chief strategist and is known to be highly respected by the president.