Bannon jettisoned from NSC, McMaster rises

As thorny international situations mount and the U.S. faces growing security threats, President Donald Trump has bounced controversial chief strategist Steve Bannon from the National Security Council (NSC) and reduced the role of Homeland Security Adviser Tom Bossert while giving National Security Adviser H.R. McMaster a more prominent role in guiding the group's agenda.

The reorganization was detailed in a regulatory filing not yet published but obtained by Bloomberg, which cites a White House official as saying Trump only included Bannon on the NSC to birddog former National Security Adviser Mike Flynn, who was booted after his questionable ties to Russia became public.

Bannon's appointment had drawn a barrage of criticism from the get-go, particularly since the national intelligence director and the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff were dropped by the White House as regular attendees at NSC meetings. That has since been rectified by the latest filing.