Iran Negotiator Andy Baker Exits White House
Iran Negotiator Andy Baker Exits White House
The News
White House deputy national security adviser Andy Baker is leaving the Trump administration in the coming weeks, costing the White House one of its central foreign policy decision makers.
Baker previously served as national security adviser to Vice President JD Vance and worked closely with him on the negotiations to end the Iran war.
Axios first reported the departure Friday; Bloomberg reported it citing a person familiar with the matter. Reuters, Army Times and the Washington Examiner confirmed the exit.
Wire's reporting summary says Baker is leaving to be closer to his family after staying longer than he originally planned.
Timeline
Baker joined Vance, Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff for talks in Islamabad with Iran. Those talks produced a 60-day ceasefire and a memorandum of understanding that later collapsed.
Press secretary Karoline Leavitt announced she is stepping down, days before Baker's exit became public.
Axios reported Baker is departing in the coming weeks, followed by Bloomberg, Reuters, Army Times, Just the News and the Washington Examiner.
Reactions
Army Times framed the move as the latest change in a broader shake-up of the administration's national security team.
The Washington Examiner noted Baker was central to the Iran negotiations and that his decision comes on the heels of Leavitt's announcement — two senior departures inside the same week.
Bloomberg reported the exit deprives the administration of one of its foreign policy decision makers. Axios said Baker was among the staffers most central to the administration's foreign policy and national security decision-making over the past 18 months.
What's Next
Baker is expected to move to the private sector alongside former national security adviser Robert O'Brien.
Cliff Sims has taken over as Vance's top national security aide. Mike Needham continues as deputy national security adviser.
It is not yet clear whether the White House will name a successor to Baker's specific deputy post, or what role — if any — he will play in U.S. foreign policy from outside government.
More
The turnover is not isolated: 53% of Trump's second-term White House staff have left their posts, according to the Brookings Institution.
The White House is now reshaping its national security and communications teams at the same time, with the Iran file still unresolved after the collapse of the memorandum of understanding.
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