Top Intel Official Leaving National Security Council

A top intelligence official at the National Security Council (NSC) is reportedly leaving the White House, according to a report.

News ID: 71264

Date: 18 July 2018 - 13:51

TEHRAN (Defapress)- Michael Barry, senior NSC director for intelligence programs, is leaving the council as part of national security adviser John Bolton’s major staffing overhaul, two government officials told the Daily Beast.

One source quoted in the report Tuesday said that Barry is leaving on “very good terms”, but that his departure will be a “tough loss”. Barry is reportedly returning to the CIA, where he served before joining the NSC.

President Donald Trump's former national security adviser H.R. McMaster hired Barry to replace Ezra Cohen-Watnick, who reportedly butted heads with other officials before being fired in August, according to the Daily Beast.

Several officials have left the NSC since Bolton was appointed in April. He has said that he wants to reshape the council, but it is unclear what his desired structure is. Most recently, a senior director in the NSC was reportedly pushed out of the council for clashing with White House aide Stephen Miller.

The report of Barry’s departure comes after a high-profile meeting between Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin.

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