Trump’s most trusted national security adviser? Himself.

Washington CNN — Earlier this summer, National Security Council experts were working to implement harsh penalties against Chinese technology behemoth ZTE when President Donald Trump caught them off-guard with a tweet about making deals with the foreign company. Defense Secretary James Mattis is quoted saying Trump’s understanding matches that of “a fifth- or sixth-grader.” Mattis later said the quotes attributed to him were “a product of someone’s rich imagination.” That lack of curiosity and knowledge, coupled with the President’s impulsiveness, might be the biggest obstacle to a properly functioning NSC, said Jamil Jaffer, a former associate White House counsel to President George W. Bush and founder of the National Security Institute at George Mason University’s Antonin Scalia Law School. However, many current and former Trump and Obama administration national security officials told CNN they are worried Bolton is pushing changes too far, undermining the NSC’s critical role. “Under Generals Flynn and McMaster the NSC acted under more of the ‘Scowcroft Model’ – as a curator for a robust interagency process,” Bannon told CNN, referring to a two-time former national security adviser. “How is Bolton prepping for meetings with the President if he’s not engaging with his own staff?” said CNN national security analyst Samantha Vinograd, who was an NSC official in the Obama White House.