Big news for those who follow DOD at the end of this @WSJ story: Trump has decided to remove Mira Ricardel, the top deputy for national security adviser John Bolton. Ricardel has repeatedly clashed with Defense Secretary Jim Mattis. wsj.com/articles/trump…
WSJ: The president became involved in that decision at the urging of first lady Melania Trump, whose staff battled with Ms. Ricardel during the first lady’s trip to Africa last month over seating on the plane and requests to use National Security Council resources
Ms. Ricardel also repeatedly clashed with Defense Secretary Jim Mattis and his Pentagon team over staffing decisions and policy differences... That discord has created a chill in relations between Ms. Ricardel and Defense Department officials wary of her intentions
I've been told that Ricardel also was an architect of rumors that Mattis was on his way out. Background @ForeignPolicy foreignpolicy.com/2018/10/25/bol…
WSJ story was just updated: The first lady’s team told the president that they suspect Ms. Ricardel is behind some negative stories about Ms. Trump and her staff.
