Well, the writing on the “there’s trouble on Pennsylvania Ave.” wall just gets bigger and brighter by the hour.
Donald Trump (or, officially, Trump’s new national security adviser, Lt. Gen. H.R. McMaster) has apparently kicked Steve Bannon – or, as we like to call him, a “preexisting condition” – off the National Security Council where he had no place being in the first place. Here’s Bloomberg:
President Donald Trump reorganized his National Security Council on Wednesday, removing his chief strategist, Stephen Bannon, and downgrading the role of his Homeland Security Adviser, Tom Bossert, according to a person familiar with the decision and a regulatory filing.
The move to give Bannon a seat at the table was widely criticized from the word “go” because … well … because putting a known racist and conspiracy theory-prone lunatic on the Security Council seemed like a really, really silly thing to do.
But here’s the punchline from Bloomberg:
A White House official said that Bannon was placed on the committee in part to monitor Trump’s first national security adviser, Michael Flynn, and never attended a meeting.
So Bannon’s job was to keep an eye on the guy who colluded with some Russians which sounds a lot like the fox watching the henhouse.
“Susan Rice operationalized the NSC during the last administration. I was put on to ensure that it was de-operationalized,” Bannon said, adding that “General McMaster has returned the NSC to its proper function.”
Hmmm.
The new order issued by Trump also restores the chairman of the Joint Chiefs and intelligence director and also adds the energy secretary, C.I.A. director and United Nations ambassador to the principals committee.
Clearly, the reasons for this go well beyond what the White House is saying despite protestations to the contrary.
Via WaPo
Two senior White House officials said Bannon’s departure was in no way a demotion and that he had rarely attended meetings since being placed on the council. They and others interviewed for this story asked for anonymity because they are not authorized to speak publicly on the issue.
More to come.
Titles in the Trump admin don't really mean anything. Bannon is still around! pic.twitter.com/ye8RRUAgyL
— WTF (@elzey_t) April 5, 2017
He’s no longer officially on the NSC, but will probably still have discussions with President Showbiz at some point. I doubt he’ll be totally out of the picture.
…..and Ivanka is there to monitor Daddy Dearest….. Bannon still in the WH and still in Trump’s ear ,,,,, not much has changed yet.
Meh, Bannon, whatever. The REALLY scary part of the announcement? Rick Perry was ADDED to the NSC…because he’s IN CHARGE OF THE COUNTRY’S NUCLEAR ARSENAL.
Rick Perry….in charge….nuclear arsenal.
Think about that for a minute. Dumb-as-a-fencepost Rick Perry. Dumb-as-a-box-of-hammers Rick Perry.
If you’re not already shivering, then take a few minutes to read this article about Rick Perry by Matt Taibbi:
http://www.rollingstone.com/politics/news/rick-perry-the-best-little-whore-in-texas-20111026
I read the article you posted before and there is little doubt in my mind that Trump/Bannon are still tied at the hip and WILL do SOMETHING in N. Korea as they ratchet up the distractions. The teenage minded dear leader in N. Korea and Rick (I didn’t know nukes were part of the energy dept) Perry and The Donald (If we have nukes why don’t we use them) Trump make for a toxic mix at best. What could possibly go WRONG.