White House national security official on leave pending investigation
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Andrew Peek, the senior director for European and Russian affairs at the National Security Council, has been placed on administrative leave pending a security-related investigation, people familiar with the situation tell Axios.
Driving the news: Peek had been expected to attend the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland next week, where President Trump is expected to meet with a number of world leaders as the impeachment trial takes place back in the Senate.
- Peek declined to comment.
- White House and National Security Council officials declined to discuss the situation. "We do not discuss personnel matters," the NSC said in a statement to Axios.
Why it matters: Peek's responsibilities at the NSC, and before that at the State Department, touch on a number of sensitive areas. He took on the same role as impeachment witnesses Fiona Hill and Tim Morrison.
- He joined the NSC in November after serving as a deputy assistant secretary at the State Department, where he focused on Iraq and Iran.
- He previously served as a strategic adviser to now-retired Marine Gen. John Allen when Allen was commander of the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force in Afghanistan.
Go deeper: NSC staffer denies having secret Ukraine conversations with Trump