A senior official in United States President Donald Trump's administration was fired for criticising Trump's policies and his inner circle of advisors in a private speech.
Trump appointed the official, Craig Deare, a month ago to head the National Security Council's (NSC) Western Hemisphere division. However, Deare was escorted out of the Executive Office Building in Washington on Friday (February 17) following his remarks.
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A White House official confirmed that Deare was no longer working in the NSC and has returned to his previously held position at the National Defense University. The senior official, who made the revelation to the Associate Press on conditions of anonymity, did not provide any further details on the incident.
White House spokesperson Sarah Huckabee Sanders on Sunday (Feb 20) said Deare "was sent back to his original position." When asked if other government officials should be concerned of being fired for criticising the president, Sanders said: "I don't think any person that is there in order to carry out the president's agenda should be against the president's agenda."
Officials from the current and former administrations said Deare's termination from his post was associated with his remarks made on Thursday (Feb 16) during a private talk at Wilson Center in Washington.
Reports state that Deare slammed the Trump Administration for its policies on Latin America, and talked specifically about America's current relations with Mexico, said AP reports. Deare reportedly also expressed his frustrations of not being involved in the policy discussions about Mexico and said that Trump's inner circle — including chief strategist Steve Bannon and Trump's son-in-law and advisor Jared Kushner — were not consulting the NSC directorates while formulating policies in the White House.
Last month, Trump, signed an executive order to build the controversial wall along the US' borders with Mexico to keep illegal immigrants at bay. The White House later announced its proposal of introducing a tax on all imported goods from Mexico. The move saw Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto cancelling his scheduled visit to Washington to meet Trump.
