Recent reports indicate that a senior advisor and foreign policy strategist for President Donald Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio will soon be leaving the administration.

Michael Anton, currently the director of the State Department's Policy Planning Staff, will exit from that influential position at some unspecified date in the fall, according to Politico.

The White House has not yet publicly commented on the news, but Anton's impending departure has seemingly been confirmed by multiple unnamed officials, as well as Secretary Rubio, who issued a statement of gratitude for his service.

Will depart his position in the fall

Politico reported that Anton has provided a "low-profile but powerful presence" in shaping the Trump administration's foreign policies and has played a significant role in negotiations with rival nations, including Russia and Iran, among others.

He is also said to be the lead author of the administration's forthcoming national security strategy paper, which outlines the administration's approaches and goals to achieving its interests around the globe and keeping the American people safe and secure from various competitor nations and enemies.

Per multiple anonymous officials, Anton is expected to leave his post after the national security strategy is complete and published, but it remains unclear if he will leave the administration altogether or shift over to some unspecified new position.

Rumors of friction and frustration with other officials

Some of the sources cited by Politico suggested that Anton could be leaving out of frustration over clashes with other senior officials on hiring decisions and policy goals, as well as being passed over for the role of deputy national security advisor during an earlier reshuffle of that office.

However, other anonymous officials, the State Department, and even Anton himself dismissed or downplayed those rumors of friction and frustration, and he was praised by some as being "an incredibly trusted adviser" to Secretary Rubio and the president.

Indeed, in a statement to the outlet, Rubio said of Anton, "Michael has been a critical part of this team going back to the transition. I’m grateful for his service and his ongoing leadership in drafting a groundbreaking National Security Strategy that will operationalize America First foreign policy for years to come."

The Hill further confirmed the Politico report that Anton would depart from his current role in the coming months, and quoted an unnamed State Department spokesperson, who said, "The Secretary is grateful for Michael’s willingness to be away from his family to serve his country. Any insinuation of friction between Anton and other key members of the administration is simply untrue."

"In addition to his indispensable work on Ukraine and Iran, he led efforts to draft a groundbreaking National Security Strategy [NSS] that will operationalize the President’s priorities," the spokesperson added. "Anton continues work on the NSS, which is expected to be finalized later this fall."

A leading intellectual and policy-maker

As noted, Anton currently serves in the State Department as the Director of the Secretary’s Policy Planning Staff, a leading role he has filled since the start, in which he works to establish President Trump's America First foreign policies.

In Trump's first term, he served on the National Security Council and filled the roles of Deputy Assistant to the President and Deputy National Security Advisor for Strategic Communication. He also served on the NSC staff in former President George W. Bush's administration, and prior to that served in the administrations of California Gov. Pete Wilson and New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani.

Anton has also worked for years in the private sector and has served as a senior fellow at the Claremont Institute, as a Lecturer on Politics and foreign policy for Hillsdale College, and has also authored several books and countless essays on foreign policy, national security, and President Trump, among other issues.