Former President Barack Obama's national security adviser, Susan Rice, called the measure "stone cold crazy" in a tweet. McFarland, the deputy national security adviser, began her first meeting of NSC deputies by saying that " 'this going to be tight . From 23 deputy national security advisers under Obama, there are now only six under Trump national security adviser Michael Flynn, dealing with regions, issues including cyber and counterterrorism and functions such as legal matters. Asked what the strategist contributed to NSC discussions, White House press secretary Sean Spicer said that Bannon "is a former naval officer. Asked if Bannon was "giving advice" on national security matters, Spicer said he was contributing analysis.

Source: New Zealand Herald January 30, 2017 02:37 UTC