On Thursday, President Donald Trump unexpectedly fired the director of the National Security Agency. So far, neither the White House nor the Pentagon has given reasons for the firing. Air Force Gen. Tim Haugh, a four-star general, was removed from his position after a 33-year career in cyber operations and intelligence. Haugh oversaw the Pentagon’s Cyber Command. Senior military officials say they did not receive any advance notice about the firing.
Firing the Head of the National Security Agency
Several members of Congress have come forward to criticize the decision and demand an explanation. The abrupt move comes at a time when the Republican administration is facing extreme criticism over Trump’s failure to act in the Signal chat controversy. Trump has said that no one associated with the Signal chat leak would be fired despite top-secret military plans being shared over the unclassified app with a journalist from The Atlantic.
Tim Haugh was not the Only One Fired
Trump has not shared who he has placed in charge of the National Security Agency and Cyber Command. Haugh was not the only person fired on Thursday. Wendy Noble, Haugh’s civilian deputy, was also fired. Reportedly, congressional leaders were informed late Wednesday night by the National Security Agency that the firing would soon happen. Noble may have been reassigned to the office of the Defense Undersecretary for Intelligence, but that has not been confirmed.
Laura Loomer Takes Credit For Firing
Laura Loomer, a far-right commentator, appeared to take credit for Haugh’s firing in a post on X. She claims that she raised concerns about Haugh’s ties to General Mike Milley and the Biden administration. Gen. Milley served as Trump’s chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff during his first term but quickly became one of Trump’s biggest critics.
“Given that the NSA is arguably the most powerful intel agency in the world, we cannot allow for a Biden nominee to hold that position,” Loomer wrote on X. Thank you, President Trump, for being receptive to the vetting materials provided to you and thank you for firing these Biden holdovers.”
Officials Demand Answers
A letter was sent to Tulsi Gabbard, the Director of Intelligence, and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth that demanded an explanation for why General Haugh and Noble were fired. “Public reporting suggests that your removal of these officials was driven by a fringe social media personality, which represents a deeply troubling breach of the norms that safeguard our national security apparatus from political pressure and conspiracy theories,” Rep. Jim Himes, D-Conn., wrote.Â
Top Officials Speak Out
 On Friday, Sen. Jack Reed, a Democrat from Rhode Island, said that he has “long warned about the dangers of firing military officers as a political loyalty test. In addition to the other military leaders and national security officials Trump has fired, he is sending a chilling message throughout the ranks: don’t give your best military advice, or you may face consequences,” Reed said in a statement.Â
If General Haugh is not moved to another three- or four-star job in the next 60 days, he will automatically revert to a two-star general. It is unlikely that Haugh will be hired anywhere else because any high-level job would require a nomination from Trump, and it is doubtful Trump would give a Biden nominee a nod.
Trump has not Shared Details
Trump has yet to comment directly about Haugh and Noble, but he did dismiss national security firings as normal. He gave no indication of who would replace Haugh as the head of the National Security Agency, but he did say, “Always we’re letting go of people,” Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One as he made his way to Miami on Thursday afternoon. “People that we don’t like or people that we don’t think can do the job or people that may have loyalties to somebody else.”Â
