Melania Condemns White House Aide In Rare Move By A First Lady

First lady Melania Trump’s office criticized deputy national security advisor Mira Ricardel in a rare blistering statement Tuesday afternoon.

“It is the position of the Office of the First Lady that she no longer deserves the honor of serving in this White House,” spokeswoman Stephanie Grisham said. A statement from the office of the First Lady publicly calling for the firing of a West Wing aide is highly unusual.

The extraordinary statement follows reports that Ricardel is being ousted at the order of President Donald Trump.

The Wall Street Journal reported Ricardel clashed with the office of the first lady over her recent trip to Africa in which she was said to be unhelpful to Melania Trump’s staff. This included rebuffed requests for reserved seats on U.S. government aircraft and a general lack of helpfulness in using national security council resources.

Ricardel was also said to have clashed with Defense Secretary James Mattis’s staff over resources and other staffing-related matters. Ricardel was brought into the White House by U.S. national security adviser John Bolton.