Top Pentagon Spy Pick Rejected By White House

The White House recently nixed the Pentagon’s pick to head the country’s top spy agency and command its elite hacking force, according to three people familiar with the move.

The decision not to move forward with the Defense Department’s recommendation to nominate Army Lt. Gen. Richard Angle as director of the National Security Agency and head of U.S. Cyber Command will extend a leadership vacuum atop one of the most powerful U.S. spy agencies.

Angle, a career special operations soldier, had the support of Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, according to one senior U.S. intelligence official and two former senior U.S. national security officials, all of whom were granted anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the matter publicly.

It is not clear why the White House opted not to move forward with Angle’s nomination, or if he ever held an interview with Trump. A spokesperson for the Pentagon referred POLITICO to the White House. The White House did not respond to a request for comment.

Angle’s name being withdrawn from consideration comes after POLITICO reported that both Hegseth and Gabbard have dwindling influence over the White House’s Iran policy.

Trump fired the previous head of the NSA, Gen. Timothy Haugh, and his top deputy without explanation this April, following a meeting with right-wing activist Laura Loomer at the White House.

The Trump administration has been searching for permanent leadership for the powerful signals intelligence agency, as the outbreak of war between Israel and Iran raised the specter of direct American military involvement in the Middle East. Trump said Thursday he’ll decide whether to join the war within the next two weeks.

Angle does not have the typical background favored for the role. He is the commander of Allied Special Operations Forces Command and Special Operations Command Europe. And despite serving as deputy commanding general of operations for the U.S. Army Cyber Command in 2019, he has less background in cybersecurity and intelligence than recent heads of the NSA, including Haugh and his predecessor, Gen. Paul Nakasone.

The head of the NSA is “dual-hatted” and also helms U.S. Cyber Command. The Trump administration is reportedly reviewing that arrangement, though Hegseth testified Wednesday that the department for now is “maintaining the status quo.” The role of director of the NSA requires Senate confirmation.

With his background in special operations forces, Angle may have appealed to Hegseth’s desire to reorient the Pentagon around “lethality.”

One of the two former senior national security officials and another former Trump administration official said Angle met Hegseth on the sidelines of a special operations forces conference in Tampa early last month.

Maggie Miller contributed to this report.