The White House’s deputy national security adviser has been forced out of her job one day after Melania Trump called for her dismissal.
In a statement on Tuesday, the Office of the First Lady said Mira Ricardel “no longer deserves the honour of serving” in the President’s administration.
Ricardel is a former Commerce Department official hand-picked by Donald Trump’s national security adviser, John Bolton, to serve as his deputy, Reuters reports.
She fell foul of Melania Trump and her staff in negotiations over the First Lady’s trip to Africa in October and the use of government resources for it, a senior administration official said.
Bolton had fought behind the scenes to keep her from being forced out but ultimately lost the battle, two officials said.
Ricardel has also built a reputation in the White House for berating staff, several sources said.
She “will continue to support the president as she departs the White House to transition to a new role within the administration,” White House spokeswoman Sarah Sanders said in a statement. Sanders did not elaborate on what Ricardel’s new job would be.
Trump, after congressional elections last week in which his Republican Party saw its power eroded, is also preparing to oust Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen as part of a post-election Cabinet shakeup, several US officials said.
No replacement has yet been named.
Trump’s White House has set records for administration turnover. Ricardel was the third person to hold the post under the president.