U.S. President Donald Trump unleashed a national security overhaul on Friday, firing General Timothy Haugh as the National Security Agency’s (NSA) director and purging over a dozen White House National Security Council (NSC) staff members. The sweeping move, confirmed by sources, signals a bold shift in Trump’s second term, raising eyebrows and Democratic ire.
Haugh, an Air Force general who served as U.S. Cyber Command chief, was ousted alongside his NSA deputy, Wendy Noble. Two sources pegged the NSC cuts at 10 staff members, including four senior directors, most notably the entire International Organization (IO) Directorate, which liaises with groups like the United Nations. No official reason surfaced for the sackings, but they followed Trump’s Oval Office chat with far-right activist Laura Loomer, who boasted on X about handing him a “disloyalty” list.
The New York Times is now reporting that General Timothy D. Haugh, the Commander of U.S. Cyber Command (CYBERCOM), Director of the National Security Agency (NSA), and Chief of the Central Security Service (CSS), who was removed earlier tonight from all of his civilian and… pic.twitter.com/X7tYtUI3J3
— OSINTdefender (@sentdefender) April 4, 2025Details of the Shake-Up
Noble lands a Pentagon gig under the Undersecretary of Defense for Intelligence. Cyber Command’s William Hartmann steps in as acting NSA director, with Sheila Thomas as his deputy, per The Washington Post. Aboard Air Force One Thursday, Trump shrugged off the uproar: “We let go of people we don’t like or who aren’t loyal.” The IO Directorate’s axing aligns with his “America first” stance, sidelining multilateral ties he’s long downplayed.
Imagine you’re Timothy Haugh, a decorated general, confirmed unanimously by the Senate to head the NSA. And while you’re traveling abroad, you find out the President just fired you on the advice of a 9/11 truther whose bigotry once got her banned by Uber. https://t.co/umBLa18XOH
— Mehdi Hasan (@mehdirhasan) April 4, 2025The NSC also lost health security directors Daniel Gastfriend and Tim Sheeran, thinning expertise at a critical time. This purge echoes Trump’s February firing of Joint Chiefs Chairman C.Q. Brown and five top brass a historic military reset. Elon Musk, tapped to slim federal ranks, met Haugh last month, hinting at broader cuts.
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Democrats pounced, calling it a security threat. Rep. Jim Himes, House Intelligence Committee’s top Democrat, praised Haugh’s integrity: “His honesty might’ve cost him here.” Sen. Mark Warner, Senate Intelligence vice chair, blasted Trump for sparing aides who leaked secrets on Signal while axing Haugh, who stayed off that chat. “Astonishing,” Warner fumed. These firings ripple deep with the NSA’s elite intel role and Cyber Command’s cyber muscle.
