As Trump Team Pressures National Security Council Staff Over Loyalty, Knowledgeable Career Officials Start Packing

Some career staffers at the White House National Security Council (NSC) have begun quietly cleaning out their desks after being asked about their support for Donald Trump during the 2024 campaign. Trump officials are reportedly grilling nonpolitical NSC employees on everything from their voting records to political donations. 

Before these loyalty questions, these career experts – typically on temporary detail from agencies like the State Department or the FBI – had been told they could stay on under the new administration. Now, insiders suggest it’s looking more like a wholesale turnover. Rep. Mike Waltz (R-Florida), Trump’s pick for national security advisor, has already warned that NSC staffers who aren’t on board with Trump’s policies would be cleared out immediately on Inauguration Day. 

The shakeup has raised concerns among administration veterans. Current White House National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan told reporters recently that many career NSC personnel had offered to remain in their roles to help the transition, describing them as “patriots” who have ably served under Democratic and Republican presidents. Sullivan said he wasn’t made aware of any plan by the incoming team to quiz staffers on their political leanings but noted that Waltz is free to run things how he sees fit once Trump is officially sworn in.

Alexander Vindman, a former NSC official who famously blew the whistle during Trump’s first term, warned that this kind of ideological purge could discourage government experts from speaking out if they spot future wrongdoing. 

Virginia Rep. Gerry Connoly (D-Virginia) echoed the concern, calling the questioning “dangerous” and pointing out that forcing out experienced policy staff in a single stroke could weaken the country’s national security posture. 

Trump’s first term was marked by tension with career officials after Vindman and his twin brother, Eugene, flagged Trump’s 2019 call to Ukraine’s president for what they viewed as an improper request for political dirt on then-rival Joe Biden. That episode wound up making the Vindmans heroes to some and villains to others – and it apparently colored how the incoming administration wants to handle holdovers this time around. 

With Waltz insisting to Breitbart that “everybody is going to resign at 12:01 on January 20,” it’s a question of how many people with valuable institutional knowledge will be ousted in the process – and whether the Trump Team will miss them once foreign crises inevitably arise. 

Subscribe to uPolitics free weekly email for the latest political news!

Let us know what you think of the story in the comments below – join the conversation!