Steve Bannon Removed From US National Security Council - White House

White House Chief Strategist Steve Bannon is no longer a permanent member of the National Security Council (NSC) Principals Committee because he is no longer needed now that former National Security Advisor Michael Flynn is not heading it, a senior White House official told reporters on Wednesday.

Earlier in the day, Bloomberg reported that Steve Bannon has been removed from his post at the US National Security Council.

"Steve was put on the NSC [National Security Council] at the get-go as a check on [Michael] Flynn — when Flynn left… there was no need for Steve to stay on," an anonymous White House official said.

US President Donald Trump has reorganized the National Security Council (NSC) by removing Chief Strategist Steve Bannon from the body, according to a filing written by the White House on Wednesday.

The National Security Presidential Memorandum published on Wednesday does not list Bannon's position, "Assistant to the President and Chief Strategist."

The move means Bannon will not automatically be invited to NSC meetings.

The memorandum further restores the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and Director of National Intelligence to the NSC Principals Committee. According to media reports, Trump’s new national security advisor, Lt. Gen. H.R. McMaster, ordered the changes.

In January, Trump signed an executive order reorganizing the National Security Council and adding Bannon as a permanent member. Currently, Bannon is Trump's political adviser.

In August 2016, Bannon was named as the CEO of Trump's presidential election campaign.

Bannon, one of the key figures in the Trump administration, holds a master's degree in National Security Studies from Georgetown University and an MBA with honors from Harvard Business School. He worked as an investment banker at Goldman Sachs, as well as an executive producer in Hollywood.

In 2005, Bannon met Andrew Breitbart, a conservative commentator and a media entrepreneur who owned Breitbart News Network. This partnership transformed Breitbart from a news aggregator into a leading voice for the alt-right, catering to anti-establishment and populist sentiments. Critics have accused the outlet of promoting a racist, sexist, xenophobic and anti-Semitic agenda.