The staff of the National Security Council, summoned to a video conference at 11:30 AM on Wednesday, found themselves under a shroud of unease. They were well aware of President Trump’s perspective on the council: it was the heart of the deep state, whose workforce, drawn almost exclusively from the State and Defense Departments and other agencies, had turned against him during his first term. Thus, when the news was dropped, it was not unexpected. In a meeting that lasted mere minutes—no questions, please—they were informed to pack up and head home. They were told to stay off email and wait for further instructions, with some being invited to reapply for their positions. By a few minutes past noon, the NSC employees, tasked with managing crises worldwide, were drifting out of their offices during a lunch break, many of whom would not return. Yet, they might consider themselves fortunate: no one was fired. Many would simply return to their previous agencies in search of employment. This was an early but dramatic step towards Mr. Trump’s ambitious goal of leaving a deep impression on the federal bureaucracy. For months, Mr. Trump and his team had been plotting to weed out workers of unknown loyalty—or worse—and replace them with political allies dedicated to his agenda.
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