McCain blasts Bannon placement on National Security Council

John McCain is harshly criticizing the elevation of White House strategist Steve Bannon to President Donald Trump's National Security Council, calling the move "radical" because it minimizes the role of the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

“I am worried about the National Security Council. Who are the members of it and who are the permanent members? The appointment of Mr. Bannon is something which is a radical departure from any National Security Council in history," McCain said on "Face the Nation" on CBS on Sunday morning.


As the Senate Armed Services chairman, McCain said it's concerning that Trump has centralized power around Bannon, a former executive at Breitbart who is credited with developing Trump's form of populist and combative politics. The Arizona Republican said the most important decision-maker on the National Security Council, Gen. Joseph Dunford, is now being shut out of critical meetings.

"The role of the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff has been diminished, I understand, with this reorganization. The one person who is indispensable would be the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, in my view," McCain said of Dunford. "So it’s of concern, this 'reorganization.'"

White House press secretary Sean Spicer defended the reshuffling, which makes Bannon's presence permanent on the panel and changes Dunford's from mandatory to optional. Spicer said that the new structure will "streamline" decision-making and praised Bannon, a former naval officer, as someone with a "tremendous understanding of the world and the geopolitical landscape that we have now."

Notably, McCain praised the rest of Trump's national security team, including retired Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn, the national security adviser. Flynn embraced the "lock her up" chant during Trump's campaign against Hillary Clinton.

“The national security team around President Trump is very impressive," McCain said. "Gen. Flynn is great."