The White House is trimming and restructuring the National Security Council, sources told CBS News on Friday — weeks after President Trump replaced his national security adviser and gave Secretary of State Marco Rubio the powerful post.
Some former NSC staff are moving elsewhere inside the administration, but not all, the sources said. Aides were informed of some of the changes in a meeting at the White House on Friday afternoon.
Vice President JD Vance’s national security adviser Andy Baker is taking a top role in the restructured NSC, two sources said. And White House aide Robert Gabriel is playing a key part in managing the NSC.
The NSC’s communications team is also dissolving as part of the restructuring. Requests for comment were referred to the White House press team.
“It’s terrible. Less people means less control of the bureaucracy. The key is getting people who are loyal not less people,” one former member of the National Security Council said.
The National Security Council advises the president on foreign policy and national security matters.
Axios reported on some of the changes earlier Friday.
The sudden changes came three weeks after Rubio took over the national security adviser role, replacing Mike Waltz, who was pushed out of the post and nominated ambassador to the United Nations. That move was driven by a perception that Waltz didn’t vet staff enough, a lack of fit between Waltz and the rest of the team and Waltz’s involvement in setting up a Signal group chat that inadvertently included a reporter, CBS News reported at the time.
It’s the latest upheaval at Mr. Trump’s NSC. Last month, at least a half-dozen staffers were fired shortly after right-wing media personality Laura Loomer accused them of being insufficiently loyal to Mr. Trump, CBS News previously reported.
There is no date set for Rubio to depart the dual-hatted national security position. He told CBS News Sunday that he has no departure date or time frame for a departure.
