The head of the national security agency and deputy director rejected

Director and the N ° 2 manager of the National Security Agency were ousted from their posts on Thursday, according to a defense official and three sources knowing the issue.

He was not immediately clear why the general of Air Force Timothy Haugh and his assistant were rejected, the sources said.

The National Security Council of the White House did not immediately respond to a request for comments Thursday evening.

HAGH was both the head of the American cyber command and director of the National Security Agency, a role in which he had played since February 2024. The deputy director of the NSA, Wendy Noble, was the senior civil official of the agency.

The two are career managers – HAGH with over 30 years in the Air Force, mainly in intelligence and cyber -employment, as well as a diploma in Russian studies, while the nobles have made its way to NSA since 1987.

Congress Democrats castigated the Trump administration on dismissals.

“I am deeply disturbed by the decision to withdraw General HAGH as director of the National Security Agency. I knew that General HAGH is an honest and direct leader who followed the law and first put national security – I fear that it was precisely the qualities that could lead to his dismissal in this administration,” said representative Jim Himes de Connecticut, the best Democrat of the Chamber in a declaration.

“The intelligence committee and the American people need an immediate explanation for this decision, which makes us all less sure,” he added.

Larry Pfeiffer, a former senior intelligence manager, described the dismissals of “unprecedented”.

“America should worry when politicians want to control guys with the most powerful listening capacity in the world,” he said.

He said that the presidents were postponed to the advice of the defense secretary and the CIA director to the nominations to direct the NSA.