Washington (AP) – President Donald Trump Suddenly licensed the director of the National Security Agency, according to American officials and members of the Congress, but the White House and the Pentagon have provided no reason for moving.
High leaders were informed Thursday of the dismissal of the Air Force Gen. TIM HAUGHWho also supervised the Pentagon Cyber Command, the officials said. They did not receive any notice on the decision to withdraw a four -star general with a 33 -year -old career in intelligence and cyber operations, according to officials, who spoke subject to anonymity to discuss the decisions of the staff.
This decision sparked a strong criticism of the members of the Congress and the requests for an immediate explanation. And he marks the latest dismissal of national security officials by Trump at a time when his republican administration faces criticism on his inability to take action against other key leaders’ Use an unanimated signal chat chat This included the editor -in -chief of the Atlantic, Jeffrey Goldberg, to discuss the plans of a military strike.
We do not know who is now in charge of the NSA and the cyber command.
The Haugh Civil MP for NSA, Wendy Noble.
The NSA informed the management of the Congress and the main legislators of the national security committees on Wednesday evening, but did not give reasons, according to a person familiar with the situation which insisted on anonymity to discuss the issue. The person declared that nobleman had been reassigned to the office of the Defense Under-Secretary for Intelligence.
The White House did not respond to messages asking for comments. The NSA has returned questions about HAGH to the Ministry of Defense. The Pentagon did not answer questions about the reasons why it was dismissed or provided other details.
Sean Parnell, the spokesperson for the Pentagon, would only say, in a statement, that the department thanks HAGH “for its decades of service to our nation, culminating as a commander of the cyber-command and director of the National Agency for National Security. We wish him and his family. ”
Far -right activist and commentator Laura Looper seemed to take credit on Friday in an article on X, saying that she had raised concerns to Trump about Haugh’s ties with General Mark Milley And the Biden administration and questioned the loyalty of the chief of the NSA to the president. Millery was president of the chiefs of joint staffs during Trump’s first term, but has since become a frank critic.
“Since the NSA is undoubtedly the most powerful Intel agency in the world, we cannot allow a Biden candidate to occupy this position,” wrote Loomer. “Thank you President Trump for having been receptive to the verification documents provided to you and thank you for dismissed these retained from Biden.”
We do not know what Loomer meant about Haugh’s ties with Millery – which served in the army. Many retired in September 2023, a few months before Haugh took over at the NSA. HAGH would not have been a member of the joint staff heads during the mandate of Manye. As president, Many could have provided comments or advice on dozens of military appointments for the locations of higher officers, it remains to be seen if one or all the officers who were promoted during this period are also considered vulnerable.
Loomer, who said that the attacks of September 11, 2001 were “inner work”, had discussed the loyalty of the staff with Trump at a oval office meeting on Wednesday, according to several people familiar with the situation which spoke subject to anonymity to discuss the significant manner of the staff. A day later, Trump said he had pulled “a” white house National Security Council official.
Representative Jim Himes, classification member of the House Intelligence Committee, sent a letter to the director of national intelligence Tulsi Gabbard and to the Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth demanding to know why Haugh and Noble were dismissed.
“Public reports suggest that your withdrawal from these officials has been motivated by a marginal media personality, which represents a deeply disturbing violation of the standards that protected our national security apparatus from political pressure and conspiracy theories,” wrote Himes, D-Conn.
Senator Jack Reed, a Democrat from Rhode Island, said on Friday that he had “long warned of the dangers to dismiss military officers as a political loyalty test”.
“In addition to the other military leaders and national security officials that Trump has dismissed, he sends a scary message in the ranks: do not give your best military advice, or you can face consequences,” Reed said in a statement.
He added that Trump “offered an invaluable gift to China, Russia, Iran and North Korea by serving the skills of our national security leadership”.
Another Democrat, Senator Mark Warner of Virginia, vice-president of the Senate Intelligence Committee, said that the United States “faced unprecedented cyberrencies” and asked how the dismissal HAGH, which served in the army for more than 30 years, makes America safer.
Haugh shooting triggers a 60 -day process. Unless it was moved to another job of three or four stars in 60 days, it would automatically return to a two stars.
Any new high -level work would be unlikely because it would require a Trump appointment, which has just dismissed it. Consequently, HAGH, which was confirmed for the NSA post during a unanimous vote in the Senate in December 2023, would probably retire.
Trump did not comment HAGH or noble, but Thursday, he rejected the dismissals of the National Security Council as usual.
“Always let go of people,” Trump told journalists on the Air Force One while going to Miami on Thursday afternoon. “The people we don’t like or the people we don’t think about can do the work or people who may have loyalty to someone else.”
The layoffs are involved while Trump’s national security advisor Mike Waltz is fighting Call for his evidence After using the public accessible to the public Signaling application To discuss the planning of a sensitive military operation on March 15, targeting Houthi activists in Yemen.
Warner called him “astonishing” that Trump “would dismiss the non -partisan leader of the National Security Agency while would not hold any member of his team responsible for the leak of classified information on a commercial messaging application – even if he apparently takes the direction of staff on national security of a discredited theorist from the conspiracy to the oval.”
Haugh met last month Elon Muskof which the Ministry of Effectiveness of the Government has turned the federal government by reducing the staff and budgets of dozens of agencies. In a statement, the NSA said that the meeting was aimed at ensuring that the two organizations are “aligned” on the priorities of the new administration.
Haugh had directed the NSA and the Cyber Command since February 2024. The two departments play a leading role in the country’s cybersecurity. NSA also supports soldiers and other national security agencies by collecting and analyzing a large amount of data and information worldwide.
The cyber command is known as the first American defense line in cyberspace and also provides offensive cyber operations for potential use against adversaries.
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The editors of the Associated Press Matthew Lee, Aamer Madhani, Zeke Miller, David Klepper and Lou Kesten in Washington contributed to this report.
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An earlier version of this story said that HAGH had directed the NSA and the Cyber Command since 2023. It took charge of the two roles in February 2024.
