Deputy national security adviser Dina Powell is leaving her post as of Friday.
A major influence on the administration's Middle East policy, Powell is resigning hours after President Trump announced the U.S. embassy in Israel would be moving from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.
Trump supporters who were hoping the president would make good on "draining the swamp" were concerned by Powell's Wall Street ties and sympathy to establishment Republicans. She is also close with First Daughter Ivanka Trump and her husband Jared Kushner.
She had only planned to stay at the White House for a year, it seems.
Trump asked Dina Powell to stay on, I’m told.
— Jennifer Jacobs (@JenniferJJacobs) December 8, 2017
But she had long been planning to stay only for about a year. https://t.co/fjXYihQ2Ei
She is exiting on "good terms," according to the Washington Post.
“Dina has been an invaluable member of President Trump’s team,” National security adviser H.R. McMaster said in an email acknowledging Powell's departure. “She organized and drove an effort to restore our nation’s strategic competence. Dina ensured that our integrated strategies protected the American people and promoted American prosperity. Her sage advice helped provide options to the president, and her strong relationships across the U.S. government and internationally helped drive execution of the president’s decisions.”
White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders also wished her well.
“Dina Powell has been a key, trusted advisor in this administration,” Huckabee Sanders said in a statement. “She has always planned to serve one year before returning home to New York, where she will continue to support the president’s agenda and work on Middle East policy.”
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