McCain: Bannon’s spot on NSC a ‘radical departure’

Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) on Sunday said he is concerned with President Donald Trump’s recent memorandum that reorganizes the National Security Council (NSC).

“I am worried about the National Security Council,” McCain told CBS’s “Face the Nation.”

Trump on Saturday signed a memorandum that restructured the NSC, adding White House chief strategist Stephen Bannon to “the principals committee,” and removing the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and the director of national intelligence.

{mosads}According to the memorandum, the director of national intelligence and the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff “shall attend where issues pertaining to their responsibilities and expertise are to be discussed.”

McCain, who chairs the Senate Armed Services Committee, called Bannon’s placement on the NSC a “radical departure from any national security council in history.” 

Bannon is the former head of Breitbart News. He joined Trump’s campaign last August as its chief executive.