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Promises made. Promises kept. The campaign slogan has already proven to be the theme of the entire Trump administration.
National Security Advisor Mike Waltz promised during an early January interview with Breitbart News that he would remove many “detailees” on day one from the National Security Council (NSC) and replace them with people who were supportive of President Trump’s vision for national security.
He made good on that promise.
The Associated Press reported that Waltz instructed around 160 NSC staffers to work from home while his staff conducted a full review of detailees.
New detailees with expertise that Trump’s administration values, including some who served during Trump’s first term, were already pulled from various agencies to begin work at the NSC.
Several holdovers from the Biden administration have already been returned to their respective agencies.
In a statement about the move, NSC spokesperson Brian Hughes said, “It is entirely appropriate for Mr. Waltz to ensure NSC personnel are committed to implementing President Trump’s America First agenda to protect our national security and wisely use the tax dollars of America’s working men and women.”
He confirmed Waltz’s “day one” promise, adding, “Since 12:01 pm on Monday personnel reviews and decisions based on the evaluations are being made.”
While left-leaning mainstream media outlets have framed the move as Trump “sidelining” the staffers, the purpose of the council is to round up federal officials from law enforcement, military and intelligence agencies to align the entire federal government with the president’s national security agenda.
During his first term, Alexander Vindman, the so-called whistleblower who ignited Trump’s first impeachment over a phone call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, was a detailee for the NSC.
Biden’s national security adviser, Jake Sullivan, advocated for the incoming Trump administration to “hold over” current detailees during its early days. It appears that Sullivan’s efforts failed.
Ezra A. Cohen, who served as the acting Under Secretary of Defense for Intelligence during the first Trump administration, applauded the move in a post on X.
Prudent move by Michael Waltz. He is following through on his commitment to make sure the NSC advances America First principles and restore our strength in the most efficient way possible.
