The director of the National Security Agency (NSA) and a number of other officials were fired in what Axios describes as an "anti-neocon move."
Gen. Timothy Haugh, who also heads U.S. Cyber Command, was fired along with his civilian deputy at the NSA, Wendy Noble, and several others.
Conservative activist Laura Loomer had met with Trump in the Oval Office the night before and is applauding the firings.
"The vetters should have been more critical given the fact that the Pentagon revoked the security detail and clearance for retired general Mark Milley, who called President Trump a FASCIST," Loomer posted on X.
"Why would we want Milley’s hand-picked choice for NSA DIRECTOR? We do not! And he was referred for firing."
Loomer told the Washington Post that she had urged Haugh's firing because he was "handpicked” by Gen. Mark A. Milley. Milley was chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff in 2023 when Haugh was nominated to lead Cyber Command and the NSA.
Trump was plagued during his first term with national security aides making damaging leaks for what appeared to be political reasons. Any hint of disloyalty or disagreement will be grounds for dismissal in the current Trump White House.
Purging "neocons" from the national security establishment was greeted with approval from Trump supporters. They are seen as responsible for "forever wars" and a globalist outlook.
In a conversation with reporters on Air Force One on Thursday, Trump confirmed the firings at the National Security Council.
"We're always going to let go of people — people we don't like or people that take advantage of [us] or people that may have loyalties to someone else," he said.
Trump praised Loomer and said "she makes recommendations ... and sometimes I listen to those recommendations ... I listen to everybody and then I make a decision."
Trump said Loomer recommended some people for jobs at the White House but denied she had anything to do with the firings.
He called Loomer a "great patriot."
Haugh and Noble were not told why they were being fired.
“Why would we want Clapper’s protege at the NSA?" Loomer wrote on X. "Of course Wendy Nobel [sic] was referred for firing,” she added. “She is a Trump hater who was nominated by JOE BIDEN.”
Related: The 'Mary Poppins of Disinformation' Says There's No 'Censorship-Industrial Complex' in America
Lt. Gen. William J. Hartman, the deputy at Cyber Command, will temporarily fill the top spot as the acting director of the NSA.
Gen. Haugh was in charge of Cyber Command when the epic hack of U.S. telecoms by China in the "Salt Typhoon" operation penetrated almost every major telecom network in the United States. Democratic Sen. Mark Warner called Salt Typhoon the "worst telecom hack in our nation's history — by far.” The attack occurred over several years and went undetected by Haugh's Cyber Command.
Trump and Defense Secretary Pete Hesgeth have been cleaning house at the Pentagon after previously firing Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Charles Q. Brown Jr.; the chief of naval operations, Adm. Lisa Franchetti; and the commandant of the Coast Guard, Adm. Linda L. Fagan.
Your favorite PJ Media writers are working hard to bring you the best opinions and news in the business. Support us by becoming a VIP Member! We're giving you a 60% discount on the regular VIP Membership with the promo code "FIGHT." Click here to join and receive your discount.
Join the conversation as a VIP Member