Top Trump assistant fired for 'unspecified security issue,' immediately joins 2020 campaign

John McEntee, President Trump's personal assistant, "was escorted out of the White House" on Monday, The Wall Street Journal reports, fired amid "an unspecified security issue." McEntee's ouster was apparently sudden, as he was "removed from the White House grounds ... without being allowed to collect his belongings," the Journal reports.

The Journal reported McEntee's dismissal Tuesday. Immediately following the news, a release from the Trump 2020 campaign revealed that McEntee had joined the effort as a senior adviser for campaign operations. The campaign release made no mention of McEntee's unceremonious departure from the White House.

McEntee served as Trump's "body man," providing him pens for autographs and delivering him messages, the Journal reports. An unnamed White House official told the Journal that McEntee's absence is "not going to be great for morale."

The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up

As MSNBC's Chris Hayes notes, that McEntee was reportedly escorted off the White House premises "is no joke" given his stature as a close confidante to the president. The White House declined to comment on McEntee's departure to the Journal, saying it would not comment "on personnel issues." Read more about McEntee at The Wall Street Journal.