Head of National Security Agency and Cyber Command Is Ousted

[Drum]

Source: New York Times

No reason was given for the removal of Gen. Timothy D. Haugh, but the far-right activist Laura Loomer had called for his ouster in a meeting with President Trump, an official said.


The head of the National Security Agency and U.S. Cyber Command was removed from his job on Thursday, 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 Gen. Timothy D. 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 General Haugh’s removal, and referred questions to the Pentagon, which did not respond to a request for comment. A White House spokeswoman did not confirm the ouster.

But a U.S. official briefed on the matter said Laura Loomer, a far-right activist and outside adviser to President Trump, called for General Haugh’s removal during her Oval Office meeting on Thursday. Mr. Trump ordered Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to fire General Haugh, the official said.

Read more: https://www.nytimes.com/2025/04/03/us/politics/nsa-cyber-command-chief-fired.html?unlocked_article_code=1.9E4.IKd7.eqfZakbwBCgf&smid=nytcore-ios-share&referringSource=articleShare

---

Ava Braun is back!

[usonian]

1. One commenter on Hacker News

https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43578475

I suspect as they remove more and more normal people (we’ll call them non-cultists) we get closer to tests of loyalty happening. The first test will be invading Greenland and some in the military will rightly refuse to cooperate. Then next will be invading the Panama Canal and some will object and they’ll be removed. Then it will be Canada and by that point enough of the people who might oppose fascism in the military will be gone for the US to invade Canada and there will be lots of objections, this is ideal to purge out every last patriot and those not loyal to Trump.

[moniss]

2. I have commented several times over the last months that

the top levels in the military need to be having some "private" conversations with each other because they need to figure out how to react to an extreme weird order or situation. What would they do for example if Crumb the 1st gave them an order to allow visiting Russian Intelligence/Military to access our most sensitive locations and systems? Some people say these are needless speculations because they would be so crazy. My response to that is what have we seen since 1/21 that prior to that date would have been too "crazy" and people thought would never be done?

Between gutting the government to the point of making agencies/departments so hobbled they can't function, outright elimination and now igniting a global trade war to collapse the worldwide economy what of these things wouldn't have been called "crazy" in October of 2024? But here we are and now the rantings of a lunatic are enough to remove top level military personnel. Do I believe that they will even go down to the level of elevating MAGA Colonels etc. to General and then placing them in charge? Absolutely. Every appointment they have made has demonstrated that competence, skill and experience are not only not required but they are in fact dis-qualifiers.

[Ford_Prefect]

3. Laura Loomer is the one who is deciding who is loyal enough, who has suspicious ties to either the Neo-Cons or to

the DOJ in a previous administration, or is married to someone who once worked for the DOJ under Obama.

Behind the scenes: The U.S. official said Loomer was furious that "neocons" had "slipped through" the vetting process for administration jobs, referring to hawkish foreign policy views commonly associated with the Bush administration.

"She went to the White House yesterday and presented them with her research and evidence," the official said. Loomer's visit was reported earlier by Status and The New York Times. The official suspected that the firings were linked to Loomer's visit but was not certain.
The U.S. official named three senior NSC members who had been fired, and said it was shaping up to be a "bloodbath." Axios is seeking additional confirmation before naming those people.
The source familiar said several people had been fired, possibly as many as 10, including senior directors. An NSC spokesperson declined to comment.

https://www.axios.com/2025/04/03/trump-laura-loomer-fire-national-security-council

According to a story in the Washington Post (Yes, I know already!) Loomer has it in for anyone who she considers not loyal enough to El Jefe. She claims to have done yards and yards of "opposition research" leading to the discovery of mixed political heritage or insufficiently pure associations, and recently took a private meeting with the President to illuminate those she deems not worthy. Heads rolled shortly afterward and continue to do so.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/2025/04/03/trump-national-security-council-firings/

[2naSalit]

4. I wonder who gave her the list...

Of names of those to be ousted. Interesting she would have that kind of info.

I smell a pootin flavored rat.

[sinkingfeeling]

5. Oh, they're just making it so much easier for Putin to gain control. Who needs to protect our cyberspace

from our 'true' friends.

[Kid Berwyn]

6. Laura found him...disloyal to Dimdonnie.

“What Constitution?”

[LetMyPeopleVote]

7. Trump purges national security officials, further destabilizing his own team

The problem isn’t just that the president has fired national security officials without cause, it’s also why he made these drastic moves.
https://bsky.app/profile/stevebenen.com/post/3llyhs3ixw224

The good news: Trump has finally agreed to fire some members of his hapless national security team.

The bad news: He's fired the wrong people for the wrong reasons, while leaving in place the officials who actually deserve to be ousted

Link to tweet

https://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-show/maddowblog/trump-purges-national-security-officials-destabilizing-team-rcna199673

The purge appears to be intensifying. NBC News reported:

The director and the No. 2 official at the National Security Agency were ousted from their positions Thursday, according to a defense official and three sources with knowledge of the matter. ... [Air Force Gen. Timothy Haugh] was both the head of U.S. Cyber Command and the director of the National Security Agency, a role he had served in since February 2024. Wendy Noble, the NSA’s Deputy Director, was the agency’s senior civilian leader.

.....And what, pray tell, precipitated these moves? As it turns out, NBC News, among several other news organizations, reported that the president started ousting members of his national security team after he met with far-right activist Laura Loomer, who “expressed dissatisfaction with some officials on his national security team.”

Indeed, after Trump fired the top two officials at the National Security Agency, Loomer took credit for their dismissals.

For those who might need a refresher, Loomer is a right-wing activist, a radical conspiracy theorist and a failed Republican congressional candidate who has described herself as “pro-white nationalism.” She was also a close confidant to Trump during the 2024 campaign — even joining the Republican for a Sept. 11 remembrance, despite the fact she’s pushed false conspiracy theories about the terrorist attacks having been “an inside job.”.....

Indeed, the president hasn’t even made much of an effort to deny Loomer’s influence, boasting to reporters late Thursday that the conspiracy theorist is “a very good patriot” who makes “recommendations” he takes seriously.

The point is not that the administration’s national security team is sacrosanct. On the contrary, in the wake of Signal chat scandal, it is easy to make the case that Trump had a responsibility to fire key members of his team, including Waltz and Hegseth. The president, to date, has refused.

But that just makes Trump’s judgment look even worse: He’s finally agreed to fire some members of his hapless national security team, but he’s fired the wrong people for the wrong reasons, while leaving in place the people who actually deserve to be ousted.