Top Trump Russia-Europe Official Yanked Pending Mysterious Security Concerns
By NBC News. The top White House official responsible for Russia and Europe has been put on indefinite administrative leave amid a security-related investigation, two U.S. officials and a former U.S. official said.
The official, Andrew Peek, who took over the Russia portfolio at the National Security Council in November, had been scheduled to join President Donald Trump at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, this week before he was abruptly put on leave, one of the officials said. The officials declined to specify the nature of the investigation. . .
Peek’s absence, at least temporarily, creates a void in a key position responsible for pushing back on Russian aggression and coordinating U.S. policy toward Moscow. It adds another jolt of uncertainty to an office that has experienced significant turnover during the past year.
Peek, whose background is in Middle East affairs, took over the Russia and Europe portfolio from Tim Morrison, who was a key witness in House hearings on Trump’s impeachment. The Russia and Europe role is the same one that was previously occupied by Fiona Hill, another key impeachment witness during last year’s hearings. (Read more from “Top Trump Russia-Europe Official Yanked Pending Mysterious Security Concerns” HERE)
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Trump Loses Another Russia Adviser, Adding to NSC Turnover
By Bloomberg. The top Russia expert on President Donald Trump’s National Security Council has left his post after about three months, according to three people familiar with the matter.
Andrew Peek, the NSC’s senior director for European and Russian affairs, was escorted from the White House grounds on Friday, two of the people said, asking not to be identified because they weren’t authorized to discuss personnel matters. A spokesman for the NSC declined to comment, citing the same reason. Peek also declined to comment.
Axios reported earlier Saturday that Peek was placed on administrative leave pending a security-related investigation.
Peek is the third departure from the position in less than a year. The NSC has been marked by turbulence and turnover over Trump’s three years in office, as the president has repeatedly sought national security advisers more in-line with his own ideology. (Read more from “Trump Loses Another Russia Adviser, Adding to NSC Turnover” HERE)
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