April 5, 2017

Steve Bannon Was Just Kicked Off the National Security Council

Trump’s chief strategist loses his seat at the table.

Olivier Douliery/Pool via CNP/MediaPunch/IPX via AP

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Steve Bannon has been removed from the National Security Council, according to a memorandum released by the White House on Wednesday.

Bannon, Trump’s White House chief strategist, was added to the NSC shortly after Trump took office. The move received criticism both from the media and Congress.

You can read the memo below.

The White House seems to be spinning this story two ways: (1) Bannon was put on the NSC as a check on former National Security Adviser Michael Flynn. Now Flynn is gone, so Bannon is leaving too. (2) Obama’s NSC was bad, bloated, and “operationalized,” and Bannon was there to oversee the transition of it back to a small, sleek, advisory committee. Now the reform project is over, so he is done.

The first explanation doesn’t make a ton of sense. Flynn was fired back in early February, and presidents typically don’t hire people who can’t be trusted to be national security adviser.

 

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That means we're going to have upwards of $350,000, maybe more, to raise in online donations between now and June 30, when our fiscal year ends and we have to get to break-even. And even though there's zero cushion to miss the mark, we won't be all that in your face about our fundraising again until June.

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