Over 100 US National Security Council staffers placed on administrative leave

On May 23, the Trump administration placed more than 100 officials at the National Security Council (NSC) on administrative leave as part of a significant restructuring effort led by interim national security adviser and Secretary of State Marco Rubio, according to two U.S. officials and an additional source familiar with the situation, cited by CNN.

CNN had previously reported that a major overhaul of the NSC — the key body responsible for coordinating the president’s foreign policy agenda — was imminent. This restructuring is expected to include staff reductions and a more centralised, top-down decision-making process concentrated at the highest levels.

An email sent around 4:20 p.m. from NSC chief of staff Brian McCormack notified affected employees that they would have 30 minutes to clear their desks. For those not physically present at the White House campus, the email instructed them to arrange a time to retrieve personal belongings and return government devices by contacting a specified address. The subject line read “Your return to home agency,” indicating that most of those impacted were detailees assigned to the NSC from other government departments and agencies.

The timing of these moves followed a meeting convened on May 22 by Rubio with principal officials, which sparked speculation it was related to the upcoming reorganisation. Then, on Friday at 3:45 p.m., shortly before the dismissals were announced, senior directors were called to a meeting with Rubio.

Afterwards, outgoing staff began circulating emails containing their personal contact information.

An administration official described the timing—late on a Friday afternoon ahead of a long holiday weekend—as “as unprofessional and reckless as could possibly be.”

Those placed on leave included both career government officials and political appointees brought in during the Trump administration.

Sources noted that in recent weeks, the Office of Presidential Personnel had been re-interviewing NSC staff as part of the reshaping process. Among the questions posed was one asking officials what they believed was the appropriate size for the NSC.

Typically staffed by foreign policy experts drawn from across the federal government, the NSC is a central institution for managing the president’s foreign policy agenda. However, under President Donald Trump, its role has been diminished, and this overhaul is expected to further reduce its influence within the White House.

Earlier this month, Mike Waltz, who previously led the NSC, was removed from his position in the administration’s first major staff shakeup. Trump announced that he would nominate Waltz to serve as the United States ambassador to the United Nations, with Rubio stepping in as acting head of the NSC.

Waltz’s standing within the administration had weakened following an incident where he mistakenly added a journalist to a Signal messaging group discussing highly sensitive military strikes. Even prior to this “Signal fiasco,” White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles had reportedly been unimpressed with Waltz’s performance. His influence had steadily declined in recent weeks, culminating in Trump’s decision to dismiss several NSC staff members following pressure from far-right activist Laura Loomer, who claimed these individuals were disloyal.

By Tamilla Hasanova