(Luis Cornelio, Headline USA) Rep. Mike Waltz, R-Fla., shut down rumors Thursday that President-elect Donald Trump plans to keep some of the Biden administration’s bureaucrats within the National Security Council (NSC)
Waltz, whom Trump tapped as his incoming national security advisor, told Breitbart on Thursday that all appointees must resign by 12:01 p.m. on Trump’s Inauguration Day on Jan. 20, 2025. He affirmed Biden-era staffers are being made “crystal clear what the agenda is.”
“Everybody is going to resign at 12:01 on January 20,” Waltz said. “We’re working through our process to get everybody their clearances and through the transition process now. Our folks know who we want out in the agencies, we’re putting those requests in, and in terms of the detailees they’re all going to go back.”
Waltz’s comments came in response to former NSC official Joshua Steinman, who claimed on Sunday that some of Biden’s NSC personnel were being told they could keep their jobs in 2025.
“This is a serious error if true,” wrote Steinman on X, garnering over 7.5 million views. Waltz addressed the backlash the following day, assuring that “anyone working under President Trump in the NSC will be fully aligned with his America First agenda.”
When it comes to NSC Staff, PERSONNEL IS POLICY.
I’m hearing (from multiple people) that a significant % of NSC Staff have been told that they will be allowed to stay.
This is a serious error if true.
Removing people like this isn’t personal, its just prudent.
Here’s why:
5/— joshua steinman (🇺🇸,🇺🇸) (@JoshuaSteinman) January 5, 2025
Waltz told Breitbart Steinman’s claims were wrong and could have been addressed with a phone call rather than through viral social media posts. He added that the Trump transition has identified Biden-era detailees.
“It’s a pretty straightforward process,” Waltz explained. “Because a good portion of the NSC are detailees, out from the agencies, our team knows who we want to bring in and we’re putting those requests out and we’re going to bring them in.”
Later in the interview, Waltz reiterated, “We’re taking resignations at 12:01 and we’re going to put the president’s team in place. If anybody has any concerns it’s not like I’m brand new to this town. Give us a call and work with us, especially if you were on the team for years already. Everybody should be excited about this.”
Led by the national security advisor, the NSC is one of the most influential federal groups within the White House.
As reported by Breitbart, it is formed by federal employees, known as detailees, who represent their respective agencies in the White House for specific purposes, such as providing expertise on certain topics.
The outlet noted that NSC detailees can easily undermine a president. For example, the leftist Vindman brothers—Alexander and Eugene—were both part of Trump’s NSC and played “whistleblower” roles in the first Trump impeachment.
