Stephen Bannon, Trump’s senior strategist, is off the National Security Council which appointment had caused a furore with fears that US intelligence was being politicised. A specious excuse about baby-sitting Flynn, the former head, was offered, though the New York Times suggested that Trump was getting unsettled by too much limelight on Bannon, seen as the arch-manipulator; and that Jared Kushner’s steady rise indicated a power shift behind the scenes. [See post March 30.] It is also seen as a win for HR McMaster, the National Security Advisor.
Bannon, 27 Nov 1953, a Sun Sagittarius with a pugnacious, fanatical and attention-grabbing Mars Neptune in Libra on the point of a T square to Uranus opposition North Node in Capricorn, always looked to be having an unsettled, enthusiasm-denting and blocked year. Tr Uranus is just over the square to his Uranus; and hits the opposition to his Neptune and trine to Pluto from later this month into early May, as well as opposing his Mars/Saturn midpoint at the same point which will be a major crisis point. Mid May to late July there’s a dream-bubble-bursting tr Neptune opposition Sun/Jupiter, when his relationship with Trump is at a low ebb; and then tr Pluto returns to square his Mars in Sept/Oct this year when he’ll be corralled, stockaded and volcanically enraged.
Bannon’s relationship with McMaster is certainly volatile with a composite Mars Uranus; and there’ll be high tension between them come Sept/Oct. Though Bannon’s relationship with Mattis, the Defence Secy, may blow a fuse earlier with tr Uranus opposition the composite Mercury at the moment and Sun come late April into May. And the same goes for the Sec State Tillerson/Bannon relationship chart which is just as unstable this month; and certainly worsening in Sept/Oct – if Bannon lasts that long. He’s threatened to walk out according to reports. Though by all accounts he’s slippery and lucky, so too soon to write him off entirely. Though the prospect of him outside the White House and letting off steam at Trump could be an intriguing prospect.
Things are moving fast now. This morning, we learned Rep. Nunes is out of Russian Investigation. So, I think it’s safe to assume that Bannon was behind the information on “unmasked” names in Security Agency files Nunes came out with, and there simply is not a way to spin this in a positive way for Trump Administration or Republican Leadership. Combine this with jumpy tweets from Michael Flynn Jr., and it’s likely the Investigation Committee has enough for Flynn to be, eventually, prosecuted (obviously, they will not be doing it). It could have something to do with Assad’s role in Middle East, although Flynn did lobby for Turkish Government, not traditionally an ally with Syrians. Maybe it has something to do with Kurdish surpression, that’s one thing Syrian and Turkish Governments must agree on, neither want to grant autonomy, much less independence, to their Kurdish citizens.
So interesting watching as the drama unfolds from the sky and straight onto Bannon!