More than 100 National Security Council staffers at the White House were placed on administrative leave on Friday afternoon, and they were given just a half-hour to clean out their desks, CNN reported.
The Trump administration's move was part of a restructuring under interim national security adviser and Secretary of State Marco Rubio, two US officials and another source familiar with the matter told CNN.
The staffers learned they'd been dismissed in an email from the council's chief of staff Brian McCormack, that was sent around 4:20 p.m. The staffers were given 30 minutes to clean out their desks, an official said. Anyone not on campus would have to email an address and figure out when they could retrieve their belongings and turn in devices, according to the report.
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The chaos led to a deluge of emails from staffers who just learned their fate as they passed along contact information. One official called it "as unprofessional and reckless as could possibly be," CNN reported.
The National Security Council serves as the main platform for the president to discuss national security and foreign policy issues with top advisors and cabinet members. It helps the president combine domestic, foreign, and military strategies related to national security and ensures these policies are coordinated among different government agencies.
