“Bannon’s role is a radical departure from any National Security Council in history.”

Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.)

Mike Pompeo waits to be sworn in as director of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) in U.S. Vice President Mike Pence’s ceremonial office in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building at the White House in Washington, U.S. January 23, 2017. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst

On Monday (30 January 2017), White House spokesman Sean Spicer said that the CIA will be added to the NSC. Follow us on  Twitter: @Intel_Today

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On Saturday, President Donald Trump issued a National Security Presidential Memorandum (NSPM) reorganizing the National Security Council.

The Memo adds Steve Bannon –chief strategist  and  political adviser — to the group while downgrading the status of the Director of National Intelligence and the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

The Memo has been quickly criticized for adding Steve Bannon to the NSC group. Observers have wondered why the CIA was not part of the group.

On Monday, White House spokesman Sean Spicer said the CIA will be added to the NSC. The Agency had not been part of the national security forum since 2005.

President Donald Trump will amend his recent Memo to add the CIA to the National Security Council.

 President Donald Trump is  making the change out of respect for Director Mike Pompeo and others at the agency.

REFERENCES

Trump adding CIA back to National Security Council — REUTERS

Donald Trump Shuffles National Security Council — WSJ

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WHITE HOUSE: CIA back to the National Security Council