Bannon 'Removed from National Security Council' but Remains Trump's Chief Strategist

Washington observers were startled after Mr. Trump took office, when Mr. Bannon, a person with minimal foreign policy experience, was given a senior role on the council. He was even made a member of the council’s so-called principals committee, in preference for military officials who usually take up such roles.

But, in a shake-up highlighted by a new memorandum published in the Federal Register, Mr. Trump has removed his political confidant from the NSC, a body that advises the president on matters relating to national security. It said, he had also downgraded the role of his Homeland Security Adviser, Tom Bossert.

It said that National Security Advisor, HR McMaster, has been given responsibility for setting the agenda for meetings of the NSC or the Homeland Security Council, the Independent reported.

He has also been authorized to delegate that authority to Mr. Bossert, at his discretion.

Bloomberg reported that according to a regulatory filing, under the move, national intelligence director, Dan Coats, and the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Marine Corps General Joseph Dunford, will again become regular attendees at the principals committee.

Mr. Bannon, the former executive chairman of Breitbart News, was elevated to the National Security Council’s principals committee at the beginning of Mr. Trump’s presidency. The move drew widespread criticism from Washington’s foreign policy establishment and Trump critics, who said that it was inappropriate for the political advisor to play such a key brole on matters of national security.

However, White House officials were seemingly quick to state that the move was not a demotion for Mr. Bannon. Indeed a parallel security structure known as the Strategic Initiatives Group reports to Mr. Bannon - while the fact that he is so close to Mr. Trump means that he will likely still wield significant influence.