McFarland's impending move was confirmed Sunday by a senior administration official who spoke on condition of anonymity because the official announcement hasn't been made. A senior White House official said Wednesday that Bannon was initially placed on the National Security Council during Flynn's tenure as a measure to ensure implementation of the president's vision, including efforts to downsize and streamline operations at the NSC. Another White House official, Dina Powell, was recently named deputy national security adviser for strategy and has been present in the recent high level meetings with delegations from Egypt, Jordan and China.