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Trump reassigns Mira Ricardel, the deputy national security adviser the first lady wanted

Melania Trump called for the dismissal of deputy national security adviser Mira Ricardel after she argued with staff over airplane seating, according to White House officials.

WASHINGTON — Deputy national security adviser Mira Ricardel will move to a new position in the Trump administration, a day after first lady Melania Trump pushed for her ouster.

Ricardel will "transition to a new role within the administration," White House spokeswoman Sarah Sanders said in a statement Wednesday. Sanders did not say what new job Ricardel would be given.

"The president is grateful for Ms. Ricardel’s continued service to the American people and her steadfast pursuit of his national security priorities," Sanders said.

Melania Trump publicly pushed to have Ricardel fired on Tuesday, an unusual move for a first lady.

"It is the position of the Office of the First Lady that she (Ricardel) no longer deserves the honor of serving in this White House," Trump's communications director, Stephanie Grisham, said in a statement Tuesday.

White House officials said Ricardel argued with Melania Trump's staff over airplane seating for the first lady's recent trip to Africa. They accused Ricardel, who wound up not going to Africa, of spreading false stories about the incident.

National Security Adviser John Bolton appointed Ricardel as his deputy earlier this year. Officials said she has clashed with many staff members, not just the first lady.

Ricardel is one of the highest-ranking women in the administration.

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