Trump fires NSA, US cyber command head after far-right activist called for his removal: Sources

WASHINGTON – The head of the National Security Agency and US Cyber Command was removed from his job on April 3, according to the top Democrats on the congressional intelligence committees.

Senator Mark Warner of Virginia and Representative Jim Himes of Connecticut condemned the ouster of General Timothy Haugh, who led both the spy agency and the military command.

The move caught intelligence officials off guard.

A spokeswoman for Cyber Command said she could not confirm Gen Haugh’s removal, and referred questions to the Pentagon, which did not respond to a request for comment.

A White House spokesperson did not confirm the ouster.

But a US official briefed on the matter said Ms Laura Loomer, a far-right activist and outside adviser to US President Donald Trump, called for Gen Haugh’s removal during her Oval Office meeting on April 3.

Mr Trump ordered US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth to fire Gen Haugh, the official said.

Gen Haugh was also seen by the Trump administration as moving too slowly on its mandate to eliminate diversity programmes.

Mr Himes, the top Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee, said the public was owed an explanation.

“I have known Gen 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,” Mr Himes said.

Three former officials briefed on the matter said Gen Haugh was informed of the decision while travelling.

Current and former officials said Gen Haugh’s deputy at the National Security Agency, Ms Wendy Noble, was also removed from her post, and potentially reassigned to another position at the Pentagon.

One of the officials said Gen Haugh and Ms Noble were not told why they were being removed, only that “your services are no longer required”.

Another former official said Lieutenant-General William Hartman, the deputy at Cyber Command, would serve as the acting director of the NSA.

Gen Haugh had a cautious public manner, one that ran at odds with the new Pentagon and National Security Council leadership, which had promised aggressive cyber operations against China.

Gen Haugh also served as a top deputy at Cyber Command during the Biden administration and was appointed to his two posts in the previous administration.

Former officials said that Trump administration officials viewed Gen Haugh sceptically as a result of his appointment by former US president Joe Biden.

Mr Hegseth and Mr Trump have removed several top officers from their posts including the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General CQ Brown Jr.; the chief of naval operations, Admiral Lisa Franchetti; and the commandant of the Coast Guard, Admiral Linda Fagan.

In a statement, Mr Warner praised Gen Haugh’s leadership and said his removal would not make the country safer, jabbing at the White House for

sharing sensitive material on a commercial messaging application

and ousting members of the National Security Council staff at the urging of Ms Loomer.

Amid such actions, Mr Warner said, the firing of a “non-partisan, experienced leader” like Gen Haugh is “astonishing”. NYTIMES