WASHINGTON (AP) — The White House on Sunday said the addition of President Donald Trump's chief strategist, Steve Bannon, to regular meetings of the country's top national security officials was essential to the commander in chief's decision-making process. 
 
 Trump took steps Saturday to begin restructuring the White House National Security Council, adding the senior adviser to the principals committee, which includes the secretaries of state and defense. At the same time, Trump said his director of national intelligence and the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff would attend "where issues pertaining to their responsibilities and expertise are to be discussed." 
 
 Bannon served in the Navy before attending Harvard Business School, working at Goldman Sachs, starting his own media-focused boutique investment banking firm and later heading the ultraconservative outlet Breitbart News. 
 
 "He is a former naval officer. He's got a tremendous understanding of the world and the geopolitical landscape that we have now," White House press secretary Sean Spicer told ABC's "This Week." 
 
 Spicer said "having the chief strategist for the president in those meetings who has a significant military background to help make — guide what the president's final analysis is going to be is crucial." 
 
 But to Virginia Sen. Tim Kaine, the Democratic vice presidential nominee, the NSC "sadly has some really questionable people on it," he told NBC's "Meet the Press," citing Bannon among them. 
 
 Breitbart has been condemned for featuring racist, sexist and anti-Semitic content. ||||| K. T. McFarland has been asked to step down as deputy National Security Advisor to President Donald Trump after less than three months and is expected to be nominated as ambassador to Singapore, according to a person familiar with White House personnel moves. 
 
 The departure of the 65-year-old former Fox News commentator comes as Trump’s second National Security Advisor, H.R. McMaster, puts his own stamp on the National Security Council after taking over in February from retired General Michael Flynn. 
 
 McFarland proved not to be a good fit at the NSC, the person said, adding that Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly was involved in the decision as well. 
 
 Her removal follows a reorganization of the NSC in the past week that removed Stephen Bannon, Trump’s chief strategist and senior counselor, from the principals committee, the Cabinet-level interagency forum that advises the president on pressing security matters. 
 
 Other officials, including the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, were brought back onto the committee as “regular attendees,” reversing a move made in January. The changes were outlined in a presidential memorandum dated April 4. 
 
 Former Goldman Sachs executive Dina Powell stays on as another deputy national security adviser, and a second person is expected to be named to a similar role to replace McFarland. 
 
 Personnel Changes 
 
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 Trump’s young White House has been marked by several personnel changes, including the reassignment of Katie Walsh, its first deputy chief of staff, and reported infighting between the camps of Bannon on the one hand and adviser/Trump son-in-law Jared Kushner on the other. In that clash, the pair were asked to iron out their differences, which have played out in the media, and concentrate on backing the president’s agenda. 
 
 McMaster looked to minimize the significance of the demotion of Bannon, former executive chairman of Breitbart News, which came as the president was weighing options for action against Syria, his administration’s first major decision on a military intervention. 
 
 “This is not as significant as it appears,” said the 54-year-old Army lieutenant general. “Steve Bannon provides the president with advice on a broad range of issues and will continue to do so.” 
 
 Kathleen Troia (K.T.) McFarland was brought to the White House by Flynn, who was fired for not disclosing his level of contacts with Russia to the president or vice president. A staff member of the NSC in the 1970s, McFarland lost a bid for the 2006 Republican Party U.S. Senate nomination in New York. 
 
 The most recent U.S. ambassador to Singapore, Florida attorney and Barack Obama fundraiser Kirk Wagar, departed in January upon Trump’s inauguration. McFarland’s appointment would be subject to Senate confirmation.
– Amid President Trump's flurry of actions Saturday was some restructuring at the National Security Council. White House chief strategist Steve Bannon now has a permanent seat on the principals committee of the NSC, reports the Washington Post, which notes that "the changes affirm the ascent of Bannon" in giving a political adviser a seat at the military table. At the same time, Trump ordered that the director of national intelligence and the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, former members of the principals committee, would be invited only when "issues pertaining to their responsibilities and expertise are to be discussed." The move is contrary to former President George W. Bush, reports CBS News, who banned Karl Rove from interactions with the NSC; former President Obama, however, occasionally sent David Axelrod and Robert Gibbs to NSC meetings. Bannon, however, "is a former naval officer. He's got a tremendous understanding of the world and the geopolitical landscape that we have now," says press secretary Sean Spicer, per the AP. Meanwhile, USA Today notes that the shakeup started #StopPresidentBannon trending. (Bannon had some succinct advice for the media on Saturday.)