The White House’s top Europe expert is set to leave 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 for European and Russian affairs, is expected to leave as a series of personnel moves effectively places more Rubio allies in key roles at the NSC, according to four people familiar with the changes, who requested anonymity to discuss non-public personnel moves.
The moves suggest Rubio and his team may be taking a more active role in managing and staffing the NSC, a shift that could result in the once-powerful national security agency regaining some of its former influence. Rubio also serves as President Donald Trump’s acting national security adviser.
European allies are increasingly worried about the direction of US policy under Trump. Trump has recently taken a hard line with many Nato allies, accusing them of not helping the US in its war against Iran.
It was not immediately clear why McLaughlin, a former Army special operations officer with significant private sector experience, left.
A White House official said he would return to the National Defense University, a Pentagon-funded university where he had served as a professor. He had been detailed from NDU and his detail expired in mid-June, the official said.
European officials have said so Reuters they have generally liked McLaughlin on a personal level, describing him as a fair professional, but many have also seen him as more interested in normalizing relations with Russia than in putting further pressure on Moscow.
While the foreign policy implications of McLaughlin’s departure will ultimately depend on his replacement, some European officials are hoping for someone more hawkish on Russia.
McLaughlin did not respond to a request for comment.
After the publication of this article, the White House objected to the characterization of McLaughlin.
“Charles McLaughlin has only advocated for President Trump’s agenda to bring peace to world conflicts, including the Russia-Ukraine war,” White House spokeswoman Anna Kelly said, adding that the European officials quoted in this story “have no idea what they’re talking about.”
NSC realignment
His departure comes amid a broader reshuffle at the NSC, which has historically coordinated national security across the U.S. government but has played a smaller 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 adviser Mike Needham, one of Rubio’s most trusted aides, moved to the NSC to become deputy national security adviser.
Among those lining up to replace McLaughlin, the sources said, is Chris Curran, another senior Rubio aide who has been directly involved in negotiations to settle Russia’s war in Ukraine, although no final decisions have been made and others are in the running. Curran, currently a member of the State Department’s policy planning staff, did not respond to a request for comment.
Under former President Joe Biden, the NSC served a central role in many important foreign policy decisions, so much so that some State Department and Pentagon officials privately complained about its primacy.
Its importance began to wane after Trump returned to office in January 2025 and purged the NSC staff. In April of that year, he removed then-National Security Adviser Mike Waltz. Since then, Rubio has served in both the top diplomatic and national security roles, and most NSC staff have been cut out of major decisions.
Needham, the new deputy national security adviser, is among those responsible for selecting McLaughlin’s replacement, one of the sources said. Two sources said they expected more NSC departures in the coming weeks.
