White House Dismisses National Security Agency Chief Amid Purge of Security Officials

The Trump administration has removed General Timothy Haugh, the head of the National Security Agency (NSA) and U.S. Cyber Command, as reported by CBS News, the BBC’s U.S. partner. This move is part of what appears to be a broader purge of high-level security officials at both the agency and within the White House.

Democrats have expressed strong concern about the dismissal, with some warning that it could jeopardize national security. While the exact reasons behind General Haugh’s firing remain unclear, it follows a meeting between President Donald Trump and far-right activist Laura Loomer on Wednesday. Loomer reportedly pressured Trump to remove certain employees she believed were not fully supportive of his agenda. On social media, Loomer claimed that General Haugh and his deputy, Wendy Noble—who media outlets report was also dismissed—were “disloyal” to Trump.

However, President Trump has denied that Loomer influenced the firings. When questioned, he told reporters aboard Air Force One, “We’re always going to let go of people – people we don’t like or people who may have loyalties to someone else.” Trump also dismissed any claim that Loomer played a role in the dismissals, saying, “No, not at all.”

Before the reports of Haugh’s firing emerged, Trump had mentioned that he would remove staff deemed disloyal. The firings also appear to extend beyond the NSA, with at least three other officials at the White House National Security Council (NSC) being let go following the reported meeting with Loomer. While Trump did not confirm names, sources indicated that the individuals dismissed included Brian Walsh, a director for intelligence; Thomas Boodry, a senior director for legislative affairs; and David Feith, a senior director overseeing technology and national security.

The NSA has referred the BBC’s request for comment to the Office of the Secretary of Defense Public Affairs, which stated that they had seen the reports but had no further information to provide at this time. The White House declined to comment on personnel matters.

Top Democratic leaders from the House and Senate intelligence committees, including Representative Jim Himes and Senator Mark Warner, expressed their alarm over General Haugh’s firing. Himes, in particular, described the move as “deeply disturbing” and questioned whether the qualities of honesty and dedication to national security led to Haugh’s removal.

This purge follows a controversy last month when senior NSC officials accidentally included a journalist in a Signal messaging thread discussing military actions in Yemen. General Haugh, who was not part of the chat, testified before Congress last week regarding the leak, though the role this incident played in the firings remains unclear.

Trump has continued to support National Security Adviser Mike Waltz, who took responsibility for the Signal messaging error, calling it an accident.