What's behind Trump's abrupt firing of NSA leadership? - Washington Week PBS

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5. Trump purges national security officials, further destabilizing his own team

The problem isn’t just that the president has fired national security officials without cause, it’s also why he made these drastic moves.
https://bsky.app/profile/stevebenen.com/post/3llyhs3ixw224

The good news: Trump has finally agreed to fire some members of his hapless national security team.

The bad news: He's fired the wrong people for the wrong reasons, while leaving in place the officials who actually deserve to be ousted

Link to tweet

https://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-show/maddowblog/trump-purges-national-security-officials-destabilizing-team-rcna199673

The purge appears to be intensifying. NBC News reported:

The director and the No. 2 official at the National Security Agency were ousted from their positions Thursday, according to a defense official and three sources with knowledge of the matter. ... [Air Force Gen. Timothy Haugh] was both the head of U.S. Cyber Command and the director of the National Security Agency, a role he had served in since February 2024. Wendy Noble, the NSA’s Deputy Director, was the agency’s senior civilian leader.

.....And what, pray tell, precipitated these moves? As it turns out, NBC News, among several other news organizations, reported that the president started ousting members of his national security team after he met with far-right activist Laura Loomer, who “expressed dissatisfaction with some officials on his national security team.”

Indeed, after Trump fired the top two officials at the National Security Agency, Loomer took credit for their dismissals.

For those who might need a refresher, Loomer is a right-wing activist, a radical conspiracy theorist and a failed Republican congressional candidate who has described herself as “pro-white nationalism.” She was also a close confidant to Trump during the 2024 campaign — even joining the Republican for a Sept. 11 remembrance, despite the fact she’s pushed false conspiracy theories about the terrorist attacks having been “an inside job.”.....

Indeed, the president hasn’t even made much of an effort to deny Loomer’s influence, boasting to reporters late Thursday that the conspiracy theorist is “a very good patriot” who makes “recommendations” he takes seriously.

The point is not that the administration’s national security team is sacrosanct. On the contrary, in the wake of Signal chat scandal, it is easy to make the case that Trump had a responsibility to fire key members of his team, including Waltz and Hegseth. The president, to date, has refused.

But that just makes Trump’s judgment look even worse: He’s finally agreed to fire some members of his hapless national security team, but he’s fired the wrong people for the wrong reasons, while leaving in place the people who actually deserve to be ousted.