Deputy National Security Adviser Ricky Waddell Announces Resignation

Ricky Waddell

National Security Advisor John Bolton is wasting little time cleaning house.

Even before assuming his position as Trump’s go-to man on national security, Bolton vowed to clean out the stables of all the garbage Team Obama left behind. And we’re already seeing the effects. On Tuesday, Homeland Security Advisor Tom Bossert announced his resignation.

Now we’re learning that Deputy National Security Adviser Ricky Waddell is also resigning. Jonathan Swan of Axios reports:

Trump’s deputy National Security Adviser Ricky Waddell will leave the White House, according to two sources briefed on the decision. New National Security Adviser John Bolton wants to bring his own person in, and Waddell was H.R. McMaster’s hand-picked deputy.

Why this matters: Bolton is making wholesale changes at the NSC, bringing in his own people and clearing out McMaster’s. Senior NSC officials Nadia Schadlow, who authored the Trump administration’s National Security Strategy, and Michael Anton, who led the NSC’s strategic communications, have already resigned in anticipation of likely being pushed out under Bolton. More NSC departures are expected soon.

If you recall, we didn’t see this kind of mad scramble of resignations when Michael Flynn left the post last year. It really looks like Bolton is changing the face of the National Security Council to better reflect his own views.

What this means for foreign policy emanating out of the White House remains to be seen. It’s only Bolton’s first week on the job. More personnel changes could still be coming.

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Jim E. is a true political insider, with experience working both in Washington and outside in real America. Jim... More about Jim E

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