Controversial White House Aide Is Now Working For Devin Nunes
Derek Harvey, ousted as NSC Mideast Chief, is returning to the staff of his former boss, House Intelligence Committee Chairman Nunes.
SPENCER ACKERMAN
09.11.17 7:00 PM ET
A controversial White House aide has gone back to work on Capitol Hill for the chairman of the House intelligence committee, which is currently investigating connections between Donald Trump’s allies and Russia.
The Daily Beast has confirmed that Derek Harvey, the former Mideast chief for the National Security Council (NSC), is once again working for Devin Nunes, the California Republican. Both men are considered Iran hawks, pushing for a more aggressive stance with Tehran. It’s an outlook they share with retired Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn, who was fired after serving as Trump’s national security adviser for 23 days for his involvement in the growing Russian influence scandal.
Nunes partially recused himself from the Russia investigation after he worked with the White House to shift the inquiry’s focus on the “unmasking” of Americans’ names in intelligence reports.
National security adviser H.R. McMaster fired Harvey from the NSC in July, despite their mutual pedigree as close allies of retired Army general David Petraeus. Harvey’s firing was widely perceived as McMaster clearing the highly influential council of staff brought aboard by his predecessor, Flynn. In rapid succession this summer, McMaster also cleared out intelligence director Ezra Cohen-Watnick and strategic-planning staffer Rich Higgins.
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http://www.thedailybeast.com/controversial-white-house-aide-is-now-working-for-devin-nunes