Chief White House strategist Stephen Bannon was unhappy with the decision to remove him from his role on the National Security Council and threatened to quit, according to a new report.
The New York Times reported Wednesday evening that Bannon “resisted the move” and threatened to resign if the change was made. But the Times said his team has denied that he ever made such a threat.
Bannon, who led President Trump’s campaign in its final months, was elevated in January to a position on the NSC Principals Committee, drawing widespread criticism that Trump was trying to politicize the council.
The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and director of national intelligence had their roles downgraded in the move.
{mosads}National security adviser H.R. McMaster has now reversed some of those changes, a move that was approved by Trump, according to a senior White House official.
The White House downplayed the change, insisting it was not a demotion for Bannon.
The New York Times also reported that the president was frustrated with the recognition Bannon was getting for his work on the Trump administration’s agenda and was unhappy with liberals calling his top adviser “President Bannon.”
The shifting roles also restored the Joint Chiefs chairman and intelligence director roles as “regular attendees” of the Principals Committee on the NSC.