Trump fires NSA boss, deputy

President Trump yesterday fired the head of the NSA and US Cyber Command and his deputy.

The removal was confirmed today by Senator Mark Warner (D-VA), vice chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee. The Pentagon declined to comment. A spokesperson told us: “We’ve seen the reports but have nothing to offer at this time. We will provide more information when it becomes available.”

The NSA refused to comment, directing The Register to the Department of Defense.

This comes after the Washington Post reported intelligence veteran General Timothy Haugh and his civilian deputy Wendy Noble had been abruptly fired.

Senator Warner not only hit out at the dismissal of the NSA Director, but also alleged the decision was made following lobbying from a political ally-slash-fangirl of the President.

“It’s so crazy it defies belief: Trump refused to fire the people that embarrassed America and risked servicemembers’ lives in the Signalgate scandal,” he tweeted. “But fired General Haugh, a nonpartisan national security expert, at the advice of a self-described ‘pro-White nationalist.'”

The nationalist in question is Laura Loomer, a far-right conspiracy theorist who visited President Trump on Thursday. She publicly describes herself as a proud Islamophobe and White nationalist.

The firing was also confirmed by Representative Jim Himes (D-CT), who is a ranking member on the US House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence. He said the decision made America less safe and demanded an explanation.

“I am deeply disturbed by the decision to remove General Haugh as Director of the National Security Agency,” he said on Facebook.

“I have known General Haugh to be an honest and forthright leader who followed the law and put national security first – I fear those are precisely the qualities that could lead to his firing in this Administration. The Intelligence Committee and the American people need an immediate explanation for this decision, which makes all of us less safe.”

A career soldier with 34 years in uniform, in 2023 Haugh was unanimously confirmed by the Senate to the job of leading the offensive and defensive arms of the US military’s cyber arm. He was widely seen as a safe pair of hands and was a logical pick for then-President Biden, having served as deputy of Cyber Command.

Wendy Noble, also appointed in 2023, is a former COO of the NSA and worked at the DoD building cooperative agreements with foreign powers. She was awarded the NSA’s Exceptional Civilian Service Award and the National Intelligence Distinguished Service Medal, and now she’s out of a job.

We’re going to let go of people we don’t like, or people we don’t think can do the job

The new acting head of the NSA is Lieutenant General William Hartman, a former platoon leader at the 82nd Airborne Division who switched to cyber operations. He was head of Cyber Command’s Cyber National Mission Force, conducting offensive online operations.

All in all it has been a bad 48 hours for America’s national security community. At least five members of the National Security Council were given their marching orders on Thursday after the Loomer meeting.

“Always, we’re going to let go of people we don’t like, or people we don’t think can do the job, or people who may have loyalties to somebody else,” Trump said on Air Force One while on his way to a Saudi Arabia-backed golf tournament. He denied Loomer had anything to do with it. ®

READ MORE HERE