Report: In NSC Shakeup, Perry Elevated to Top Committee

Secretary of Energy Rick Perry was elevated to the National Security Council's top committee amid Trump's NSC shakeup Wednesday, McClatchy reported.

His promotion came as chief White House strategist Steve Bannon was removed from the group. Bannon was added to the committee in late January in what many considered an unorthodox and controversial move as the NSC Principals Committee is the top interagency group for discussing national security.

Trump in January also removed the director of National Intelligence and chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff from the principals committee, a move reversed Tuesday. The director of the CIA is also now a permanent member. The decision was made by Trump's new national security adviser, Lt. Gen. H.R. McMaster, and signed off on by Trump.

"Susan Rice operationalized the NSC during the last administration; I was put on to ensure that it was de-operationalized," Bannon said in a statement, according to The Wall Street Journal. "Gen. McMaster has returned the NSC to its proper function."

Bannon was originally placed on the committee, a senior administration official told the WSJ, "as a check on [Gen. Mike] Flynn," referring to the former national security adviser who was resigned in February after reports surfaced he lied about contacts with Russia.

With McMaster now in charge, "there was no longer a need [for Bannon] because they share the same views."

• Trump Pulls Bannon From National Security Council
• Ex-CIA Analyst: I Quit Because of Steve Bannon on NSC