Official announcements from the Trump administration or credible news outlets

Trump Team Questions NSC Civil Servants' Loyalty Over 2024 Election Votes

Jan 13, 2025, 06:23 PM

Incoming senior officials of the Trump administration have begun questioning career civil servants at the White House National Security Council (NSC) about their loyalty to President-elect Donald Trump. The inquiries include questions about who they voted for in the 2024 election, their political contributions, and whether they have made social media posts that could be considered incriminating by Trump's team. Some of these nonpolitical employees, who were initially told they would be asked to stay on at the NSC, have started packing their belongings in response to the questioning. Trump's pick for national security adviser, Florida Rep. Mike Waltz, has indicated his intention to remove all nonpolitical appointees and career intelligence officials from the NSC by Inauguration Day to ensure the council is staffed with individuals aligned with Trump's agenda. This move could result in a significant loss of expertise and institutional knowledge at a critical time for U.S. foreign policy and national security. Current White House National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan has advocated for retaining these career government employees at least initially in the new administration, emphasizing their role as nonpartisan 'patriots' who have served under both Democratic and Republican administrations. The NSC staff members in question are primarily subject matter experts temporarily assigned from agencies such as the State Department, FBI, and CIA.