President Donald Trump dismissed several senior officials from his national security team following a meeting with investigative journalist Laura Loomer earlier this week.
According to a senior official speaking to Fox News, President Biden dismissed National Security Agency Director Army General Timothy Haugh and civilian Deputy Director Wendy Noble. General Haugh was also relieved of his duties as commander of the U.S. Cyber Command, while Ms. Noble has been reassigned to a new position within the office of the undersecretary of defense for intelligence.
Connecticut Representative Jim Himes, the leading Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee, expressed his disapproval of the president’s decision.
He stated, ‘I have always regarded General Haugh as a principled and transparent leader who adhered to the law and prioritized national security—unfortunately, these very traits may result in his dismissal under this Administration.’
Himes also insisted that the House Intelligence Committee and the public receive ‘an immediate clarification regarding this decision, which compromises our safety.’
Senator Mark Warner, the leading Democrat on the Senate Intelligence Committee, expressed his outrage upon learning the news.
He stated, ‘General Haugh has honorably served our nation in uniform for over 30 years. In a time when the United States is confronted with unprecedented cyber threats, as highlighted by the Salt Typhoon cyberattack from China, how does dismissing him enhance the safety of Americans?’ He further remarked on X, ‘It is remarkable that President Trump would terminate the nonpartisan and seasoned leader of the NSA while failing to hold any of his team accountable for leaking classified information via a commercial messaging platform, all while seemingly taking national security staffing cues from a discredited conspiracy theorist in the Oval Office.’
Additionally, during Trump’s initial term, several members of the National Security Council were suspected of undermining his authority and foreign policy capabilities, which included media leaks and a notable incident involving then-Lieutenant Colonel Eugene Vindman, now a Democratic representative from Virginia, whose allegations of ‘quid pro quo’ concerning Ukraine contributed to Trump’s first impeachment.
Jackson’s decision comes in the wake of the Supreme Court’s ruling to stop the Trump administration’s efforts to dismiss Dellinger. The administration aimed to reverse a lower court’s provisional reinstatement of the special counsel.