NSC Official Fired After Reportedly Criticizing Trump, Aides

Craig Deare, recently appointed the U.S. National Security Council’s senior director for Western Hemisphere Affairs, was removed from the agency days after criticizing President Donald Trump and senior White House officials during a private event, said a person familiar with the decision.

Deare had been selected for the role by Michael Flynn, who resigned as Trump’s national security adviser on Feb. 13 after the president and vice president lost confidence in his credibility because he misled them about a conversation with a Russian envoy.

Politico first reported Deare’s dismissal. The former Army intelligence officer reportedly criticized Trump and others in the administration during a roundtable discussion at the Woodrow Wilson Center in Washington this week.

Deare’s targets were said to have included chief strategist Stephen Bannon and senior adviser Jared Kushner, Trump’s son-in-law, as well as disarray at the NSC in general.

An NSC official, who declined to be quoted, said the agency doesn’t discuss personnel matters.

A second official familiar with the situation said Deare was released from his NSC position but not removed from the U.S. government. He was recruited to the security council, part of the president’s executive office, from the National Defense University and will return to his post there, the official said.

Deare’s biography shows he’s been on the faculty of the professional military university since 2001. He joined the university’s College of International Security Affairs in 2010 and most recently served as dean of administration.