The White House’s top Europe expert is leaving in the coming days, part of a staff shakeup that some sources say could give Secretary of State Marco Rubio tighter day-to-day control over policymaking at the National Security Council.
Charles McLaughlin, senior director of European and Russian Affairs, is expected to leave as a series of personnel moves effectively places more Rubio allies in key NSC roles, according to four people familiar with the changes who requested anonymity to discuss non-public personnel moves.
The moves suggest Rubio and his team could be taking a more active role in managing and staffing the NSC, a change that could result in the once-powerful national security agency regaining some of its former influence. Rubio also serves as acting national security advisor to President Donald Trump.
European allies are increasingly anxious about the direction of US policy under Trump. Trump has lately taken a harsh tone toward many NATO allies, accusing them of failing to help the United States in its war against Iran.
It was not immediately clear why McLaughlin, a former Army special operations officer with significant private sector experience, was leaving.
A White House official said he would return to the National Defense University, a Pentagon-funded university where he had worked as a professor. He had been removed from the NDU and his detachment would expire in mid-June, the official said.
European officials have said Reuters They have generally liked McLaughlin on a personal level and described him as a good professional, but many have also seen him as more interested in normalizing relations with Russia than in applying additional pressure on Moscow.
While the foreign policy implications of McLaughlin’s departure will ultimately depend on his replacement, some European officials hope there will be someone more aggressive toward Russia.
McLaughlin did not respond to a request for comment.
Following the publication of this article, the White House objected to McLaughlin’s characterization.
“Charles McLaughlin has only defended President Trump’s agenda to bring peace to global conflicts, including the war between Russia and Ukraine,” said White House spokeswoman Anna Kelly, adding that the European officials cited in this article “have no idea what they are talking about.”
NSC reorganization
His departure comes amid a broader reorganization at the NSC, which has historically coordinated national security across the U.S. government but has played a diminished role during the second Trump administration.
In late May, Robert Gabriel, one of two deputy national security advisers and a close confidant of Chief of Staff Susie Wiles, left for the private sector. Last week, State Department Counsel Mike Needham, one of Rubio’s most trusted advisers, moved to the NSC to become deputy national security adviser.
Among those vying to replace McLaughlin, sources said, is Chris Curran, another senior Rubio adviser, who has been directly involved in talks to resolve Russia’s war in Ukraine, although no final decisions have been made and others are in the running. Curran, who is currently a member of the State Department’s Policy Planning staff, did not respond to a request for comment.
During former President Joe Biden’s administration, the NSC played a central role in many major foreign policy decisions, so much so that some State Department and Pentagon officials privately complained about its primacy.
Its importance began to decline after Trump returned to office in January 2025 and purged the NSC staff. In April of that year, he fired then-national security adviser Mike Waltz. Since then, Rubio has held senior diplomatic and national security positions, and most NSC staff have been excluded from key decisions.
Needham, the new deputy national security adviser, is among those responsible for choosing McLaughlin’s replacement, one of the sources said. Two sources said they expected additional departures from the NSC in the coming weeks.
