Defense Secretary James N. Mattis may be pushed out of President Trump’s inner circle, according to an NBC News exclusive report published Monday.
The report claims that the senior official disagreed with Mr. Trump on several occasions, which has begun to “add up” for the president. Mr. Trump is now allegedly more reliant on Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and National Security Adviser John Bolton.
After according to unnamed Trump administration officials, Mr. Mattis was pushed out of the loop over key decisions after these disagreements, including the Iran deal and canceling the South Korean military exercises. Although, several sources point out that while Mr. Mattis was not informed of the decision, he typically expected the president’s choice.
Mr. Mattis also allegedly “slow-rolled” certain policy directives from Mr. Trump, such as the military transgender policy and ending the military dependent policy in South Korea.
Mr. Mattis has served as defense secretary since January 2017.
Pentagon spokesman Dana White denied all allegations to NBC News. National Security Council spokesman Garret Marquis told reporters their claims were “ludicrous.”
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• Gabriella Muñoz can be reached at gmunoz@washingtontimes.com.
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