Washington : National Security Council (NSC) spokesman Michael Anton is planning to depart US President Donald Trump’s administration, White House press secretary Sarah Sanders has announced.
“Michael is one of the smartest and most talented individuals I’ve ever worked with — not to mention an amazing chef,” Sanders said Sunday.
“He has been more than a colleague, he is a true friend. Every day I got to work with Michael was a good day, and he will be greatly missed.”
Anton’s departure comes amid a series of changes at the National Security Council, including former US Ambassador to the UN John Bolton taking the helm on Monday after H.R. McMaster stepped down as Trump’s top National Security Adviser (NSA), reports CNN.
Anton was brought into the NSC by Michael Flynn, Trump’s first NSA, who plead guilty to lying to the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) last year.
Trump called Anton on Sunday and thanked him for his service, a White House official said.
“He said he is a great guy and we will all miss him,” the official added. According to sources, Anton was well liked by his White House colleagues and known as the rare conservative intellectual that joined Trump’s administration, reports CNN
Months before the 2016 election, Anton — reportedly writing under the name Publius Decius Mus — wrote “The Flight 93 Election”, an article that praised Trump’s campaign and argued that a Clinton presidency “is Russian Roulette with a semi-auto”. “With Trump,” he wrote, “at least you can spin the cylinder and take your chances.”
President slams Washington Post over John Kelly report
US President Donald Trump has slammed a Washington Post report on John Kelly’s struggles in the administration and denied that the White House chief of staff was suffering from diminished credibility and influence.
“Story on John Kelly isn’t true, just another hit job!” Trump tweeted and claimed the newspaper produces “far more fiction than fact”.
Trump frequently criticises the Post and other major news outlets, claiming their reports were false, reports CNN. His tweet however, was deleted and then re-published with a correction to a typo.
The Washington Post on Saturday reported that Trump has started to bypass Kelly, who has sought to control access to the President in a variety of ways.
The Post report also said that Kelly threatened to resign in a heated argument with Trump where he attempted to dissuade the President from firing former Secretary of State Rex Tillerson. But Kelly has told allies that he believes it is his duty to help implement the President’s agenda.
In addition, the Post reported that Kelly angered first lady Melania Trump with the firing of John McEntee, a longtime aide to the President, in March. The daily, citing administration officials, reported Melania was “upset over his sudden dismissal” of the aide, who had come under investigation by the Department of Homeland Security for financial crimes.