Trump removes Steve Bannon from National Security Council

President Donald Trump has removed chief strategist Steve Bannon from the National Security Council (NSC), reversing a controversial early decision to give Mr Bannon access to the high-level meetings.

A new memorandum about the composition of the NSC was published in the Federal Register on Wednesday. The memo no longer lists the chief strategist as a member of the Principal’s Committee, a group of high-ranking officials that convene to discuss pressing national security priorities.The new memo also restores the director of national intelligence and the joint chiefs chairman to the committee.

Mr Bannon, a former chief of the far-right website Breitbart, was elevated to the NSc’s principals committee at the beginning of Mr Trump’s presidency. The move drew widespread criticism from Washington’s foreign policy establishment and Trump critics, who said that it was inappropriate for the political advisor to play a key role on matters of national security.