Senior National Security Council staffer Michael Barry is leaving the White House, two government officials told The Daily Beast on Wednesday.
The departure of Barry is the latest in a string of NSC members who have left since the appointment of new National Security Adviser John Bolton, who is reportedly filling the influential policymaking body with his own picks.
Barry, who is said to be returning to the Central Intelligence Agency, where he served before joining the NSC staff, is reportedly leaving on “very good terms,” according to a source.
The experienced Barry was well received on the NSC when he joined last fall, in large part because he replaced the fired Ezra Cohen-Watnick, who repeatedly clashed with other members, as well as with the CIA and Cabinet officials.
Although Bolton has not yet articulated a vision for what role his revamped NSC will play in policy development and implementation, President Donald Trump’s meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Helsinki earlier this week may have given an indication, when he designated the NSC, not the State Department, as the lead in an attempt to improve ties with Moscow.
The most recent NSC member to depart was Jennifer Arangio, who was forced to leave just last week, according to Politico.
She reportedly clashed with White House aide Stephen Miller by fighting to correct misleading information about refugees and migrants that Miller gave the president, a former White House official said.
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