Ricardel remained at work on Tuesday as Bolton objected to her ouster and was reportedly at the office on Wednesday before her transition was announced.
Bolton brought Ricardel on board in May to serve as his No. 2 on the National Security Council. She earned a reputation as an enforcer and fierce bureaucratic infighter, clashing with White House chief of staff John Kelly and Defense Secretary James Mattis.
Hours later, the White House said that Ms. Ricardel was indeed leaving her post but that she would still work in the administration — just not under the first lady’s roof.
“Mira Ricardel will continue to support the president as she departs the White House to transition to a new role within the administration,” Sarah Huckabee Sanders, the White House press secretary, said in a statement.
„She wants to see what‘s real,“ said the first lady‘s spokeswoman Stephanie Grisham told CNN during a 10-minute press briefing en route to Texas. „She wanted to see as close to what she had been seeing on TV. She wants to see a realistic view of what‘s happening.“