President Donald Trump’s Senior adviser Stephen K. Bannon has exited his role on President Donald Trump’s National Security Council, claiming that his mission is complete.

“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 to the Wall Street Journal.

The council suffered a tumultuous transition after Trump’s first National Security Adviser Gen. Michael Flynn resigned less than a month after he took office and was replaced by Lt. Gen. H.R. McMaster.

“General McMaster has returned the NSC to its proper function,” Bannon said in his statement. Other sources told reporters that Bannon was part of the council to monitor Flynn’s activity in the early days of the Trump administration.

Former National Security Adviser Susan Rice and Obama allies were furious that Bannon was allowed on the council, even though he rarely attended meetings. Rice was exposed earlier this week by reports revealing that she requested the unmasking of key members of Trump’s transition team.

A White House source confirmed to Breitbart News that Bannon will retain his security clearance in the West Wing. Other reporters noted that Bannon could still attend NSC meetings even though he was removed from the National Security council principles committee.

Trump’s Secretary of Energy Rick Perry was added to the council. Nikki Haley, the Representative of the United States to the United Nations was also included as well as Director of National intelligence Dan Coats, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Joseph Dunford, and CIA director Mike Pompeo.