Donald Trump drops adviser Steve Bannon in rehaul of National Security Council

US President Donald Trump on Wednesday withdrew his chief strategist, Steve Bannon, from the National Security Council on Wednesday after it was decided he was no longer needed on the key foreign policy group, a senior White House official said.

Trump had elevated Bannon, who is a former executive chairman of Breitbart News, to the National Security Council’s principals committee at the beginning his presidency. Bannon's removal from the NSC, which includes senior members of Trump's foreign policy team, was seen as a boost to national security adviser H.R. McMaster, who officials said has struggled to work together with Bannon.

A senior White House official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said Bannon's presence on the NSC was no longer needed after the departure of Trump's first national security adviser, Michael Flynn. Flynn was forced to resign in February over his contacts with Russia's ambassador to the United States, Sergei Kisylak, prior to Trump's taking office on January 20. The official said Bannon had been placed on the NSC originally as a check on Flynn and had only ever attended one of the NSC's regular meetings.

Trump's decision to give Bannon a place on the council had alarmed former officials from Democratic and Republican administrations alike. At the same time, Trump had relegated the Joint Chiefs chairman and DNI to roles where they only attend when "issues pertaining to their responsibilities and expertise" were discussed. 

In the latest move, the Joint Chiefs chairman, Marine Corps General Joseph Dunford has been made a regular attendee of the committee, Bloomberg reported.