Sanders: Bannon must be removed from National Security Council

Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) is calling for President Trump adviser Steve Bannon to be removed from the National Security Council (NSC).

“Steve Bannon sitting on the National Security Council is dangerous and unprecedented. He must be removed,” Sanders tweeted.

“We need experienced people who will protect our country on the National Security Council, not an extreme right-wing political operative,” he added.

{mosads}Trump signed a memorandum on Saturday to restructure the NSC to include Bannon, White House chief strategist. The restructuring also downgraded the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and the director of national intelligence.

The addition of Bannon, the White House’s chief strategist, to NSC meetings has provoked outrage among both Republicans and Democrats on the grounds that national security decisions should be made apart from political concerns. Former Obama administration national security adviser Susan Rice called the move “stone cold crazy,” while Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) said the move made him “worried.”

Bannon was the head of conservative website Breitbart News before joining Trump’s campaign as chief executive last year. White House spokesman Sean Spicer defended Bannon’s addition to the NSC on the grounds that he was previously an officer in the Navy.