Trump’s NSC review results in 160 staffers working remotely

Washington: President Donald Trump’s national security adviser is sidelining roughly 160 career government employees on temporary duty at the White House National Security Council, telling them to work from home for the time-being as the administration reviews staffing for the White House arm that provides national security and foreign policy advice to the president, Trump administration officials told The Associated Press.

The career employees, commonly referred to as detailees, were summoned on Wednesday to an all-staff meeting in which they were to be told that they’ll be expected to be available to the NSC’s senior directors but would not need to report to the White House, the officials said.

Trump’s national security adviser Mike Waltz had signalled before Inauguration Day that he would look to move holdover civil servants that served in the NSC during President Joe Biden’s administration back to their home agencies. The move is meant to ensure the council is staffed by those who support Trump’s agenda.