Tom Bossert Is Out as White House Homeland Security Adviser
Move comes a day after John Bolton took over as national security adviser
Tom Bossert, who had been President Trump’s homeland security adviser, at the White House in December. PHOTO: KEVIN LAMARQUE/REUTERS
President Donald Trump’s homeland security adviser was abruptly forced out of his job Tuesday after months of internal frustration with his leadership and as the new national security adviser moved to establish power in the White House, according to people familiar with the matter.
The departure of Tom Bossert, who has advised Mr. Trump on cybersecurity and counterterrorism since the beginning of his administration, marked the latest exit from the Trump administration as the president reshapes his leadership team.
The surprise move was instigated by John Bolton, the former U.S. ambassador to the United Nations and ex-Fox News commentator who officially started this week as Mr. Trump’s new national security adviser, the people said.
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“This is an assertion of the primacy of the national security adviser,” said one person familiar with Mr. Bossert’s removal.
White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders declined to discuss Mr. Bolton’s role in Mr. Bossert’s departure. “He resigned,” Ms. Sanders said of Mr. Bossert. “The president feels he’s done a great job and wishes him the best as he moves forward.”
When Mr. Trump tapped Mr. Bossert for the job, he gave him authority on par with that of the national security adviser. That often put Mr. Bossert at odds with Lt. Gen. H.R. McMaster, the Army officer who held the post until recently.
Mr. Bossert came into the job with high praise from lawmakers from both parties. But his clashes with Gen. McMaster took a toll. National Security Council staff complained about Mr. Bossert’s management and lengthy meetings that produced few results, the people said. Administration officials complained that Mr. Bossert didn’t develop a cyber strategy or a counterterrorism policy as planned.
Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen said Mr. Bossert “has provided wise counsel to the president on homeland security issues.”
Mr. Bossert couldn’t be reached for comment. The National Security Council didn’t respond to requests for comment on Mr. Bolton’s role.
Mr. Bossert’s departure was expected to be part of a broader effort by Mr. Bolton to bring in more allies and establish his own team. Over the weekend, Michael Anton, a spokesman for the National Security Council, resigned as Mr. Bolton arrived.
In his role, Mr. Bossert oversaw issues including the administration’s response to a hurricane that battered Puerto Rico, a cyberattack last year that the administration blamed on the North Korean government, and more recently, a plan to deploy National Guard members to the U.S.-Mexico border.
He was viewed as a well-spoken champion for Trump administration policies, and he appeared this past Sunday on ABC. That same day, Mr. Bossert was at a conference in Georgia where he dismissed talk of instability in the White House.
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“We’ve reached what seems to be a decent stability point,” Mr. Bossert said, according to The Cipher Brief, which hosted the conference. “I see the stability from the president, I actually see a great deal of consistency in his messaging and his thinking, and I see the stability on the cabinet that’s my primary focus.”
Before joining the administration, Mr. Bossert worked as a private consultant on homeland security matters and previously served in the George W. Bush administration as deputy homeland security adviser overseeing issues including cybersecurity.
His resignation was earlier reported by Bloomberg News.
Mr. Bossert is the latest in a series of staff or administration departures in recent weeks, including Gary Cohn as director of the National Economic Council, Gen. McMaster as national security adviser, Rex Tillerson as secretary of state, Hope Hicks as White House communications director and David Shulkin as Veterans Affairs secretary.
