One of President Donald Trump's top intelligence directors is the latest person to be fired in a string of shake-ups at the White House and National Security Council.
Ezra Cohen-Watnick became a focal point for top national security advisers earlier this year when CIA leaders raised concerns about him with Trump's national security adviser H.R. McMaster.
A White House statement Wednesday said, "General McMaster appreciates the good work accomplished in the NSC's Intelligence directorate under Ezra Cohen's leadership."
It said McMaster "has determined that, at this time, a different set of experiences is best-suited to carrying that work forward."
McMaster moved to replace Cohen-Watnick when the concerns were raised in March, but Cohen-Watnick appealed to Trump's top advisers, Steve Bannon and Jared Kushner, who got Trump to intervene to save his job.
Cohen-Watnick was a protege of Trump's initial national security adviser, Michael Flynn, having worked for him at the Pentagon's intelligence shop.
As the NSC's senior director for intelligence programs, Cohen-Watnick was one of about a dozen people in the White House with access to a full range of classified information, including details of U.S. covert programs. His position also gives him the ability to request intelligence products from agencies.
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In March, The New York Times identified Cohen-Watnick as one of two White House staffers who helped House intelligence committee chairman Devin Nunes view secret reports.
A U.S. official confirmed to The Associated Press at the time that Cohen-Watnick had access to that kind of intelligence materials, but maintained he did not play a role in helping the congressman access the documents.