Trump’s Firing Of Nsa Chief Is ‘rolling Out The Red Carpet” For Cyber Attacks

Lawmakers and national security veterans reacted with shock on Friday to President Donald Trump’s decision to fire the head of one of the country’s most powerful intelligence agencies, describing it as a “chilling” action that would damage America’s cyber defenses and “roll out the red carpet” for attacks on critical networks by foreign adversaries.

Gen. Timothy Haugh, a four-star general who served as head of both the National Security Agency and U.S. Cyber Command, was largely seen as an apolitical and uncontroversial appointee. He was confirmed unanimously by the Senate in 2023 under then-President Joe Biden and had worked in signals intelligence for three decades.

Haugh’s firing on Thursday evening leaves two of the nation’s top cyber and intelligence agencies without Senate-confirmed leadership and suggests that Trump is prioritizing loyalty over experience as he continues to fill senior roles in his administration. It also follows a massive breach of U.S. telecommunications networks by China-backed hacking group Salt Typhoon that allowed hackers to spy on the phones of senior U.S. officials, including Trump and Vice President JD Vance.

“We’re under attack, and the president just irresponsibly removed our most important general from the field,” said Sen. Angus King (I-Maine), a member of both the Senate Armed Services and Intelligence committees. “This is an outrageous decision.”

The Washington Post first reported on Haugh’s firing, which was detailed on X by far-right activist Laura Loomer. According to The New York Times, she met with Trump in the Oval Office on Wednesday and presented him with materials critical of several national security staff.

NSA Deputy Director Wendy Noble, who the Post reported been reassigned to a position in the Pentagon, was also fired, along with multiple members of the White House National Security Council.

Loomer, in an X post, suggested the firings were politically motivated. “NSA Director Tim Haugh and his deputy Wendy Noble have been disloyal to President Trump,” she said. “That is why they have been fired.”

Lawmakers are furious at the firings, which they say severely undermine the nation’s national security efforts. Cyber Command is the nation’s key organization for coordinating offensive cyberattacks, while the NSA collects intelligence that helps inform targeting — essential as China and other nations continue to target U.S. critical infrastructure.

“He was fired with no public explanation,” Don Bacon (R-Neb.), chair of the House Armed Services Committee’s cyber subcommittee, posted to X on Friday, adding that Haugh was doing a superb job. “This action sets back our Cyber and Signals Intelligence operations.”

Senate Intelligence Committee Vice Chair Mark Warner (D-Va.) called the move “astonishing” in a statement Thursday night. “At a time when the United States is facing unprecedented cyber threats, as the Salt Typhoon cyberattack from China has so clearly underscored, how does firing him make Americans any safer?”

Rep. Jim Himes (D-Conn.), his counterpart in the House Intelligence Committee, demanded an explanation on Friday from Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard and Secretary of Defense Pete Hegesth as to why the leaders had been removed.

“The notion that senior leadership at critical agencies protecting our nation could be dismissed based on the whims of an online influencer is chilling and demands immediate clarification,” he wrote.

Those who worked closely with Haugh and Noble praised their leadership and expressed dismay at the decision.

“They are non-partisan, very patriotic intelligence officers,” said John Sherman, who served as Chief Information Officer at the Department of Defense until last year and worked with both Haugh and Noble. “This is going to be just terrible for morale, and I think it’s going to send a terrible signal to our allies and others.”

One former senior NSA official, granted anonymity to speak candidly about changes to agency leadership, described the move as disheartening. “It’s a gut punch to all of us that have worked there for decades and took pride in the fact that it was a non-partisan agency.”

The NSA has expansive surveillance and eavesdropping capabilities, which provide a majority of the information contained in the president's daily intelligence briefing. Strict guardrails are in place to prevent the agency from abusing the immense power at its disposal.

“I worry that somebody comes in at the top who has no ideas about the different levels of oversight,” who “may want to use that system in a way that it shouldn't be,” the former official said.

It’s unclear why Haugh and Noble were abruptly fired and who might be in the running to fill their positions. The NSA declined to comment, and Sean Parnell, chief Pentagon spokesperson, said Friday afternoon that the agency “thanks General Timothy Haugh for his decades of service to our nation, culminating as U.S. Cyber Command Commander and National Security Agency Director. We wish him and his family well.”

A spokesperson for Cyber Command confirmed that Lt. Gen. William Hartman, the former deputy director of Cyber Command, is now the acting commander of the agency, but did not comment on Haugh’s dismissal.

This is not the first sudden exodus of national security leaders under Trump’s second term. He purged top Pentagon leaders in February, including Joint Chiefs chair C.Q. Brown.

Military officials warn that the firings of national security leaders send a demoralizing message to military personnel hoping to move up the ranks.

“This is one in a series of firings of senior generals and admirals for outwardly political reasons,” said retired Rear Admiral Mark Montgomery, who served for more than 30 years in the U.S. Navy. “What Colonel or Navy Captain worth a salt wants to work his or her ass off for flag rank if the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow is subject to political litmus tests?”

At least one lawmaker has vowed congressional action in response to Haugh’s dismissal. Rep. Chrissy Houlahan (D-Pa.), a member of the House Armed Services Committee, called the action “chilling” and labeled it a “distraction” from the other scandals plaguing the White House.

“There have still been no consequences for anyone over the leaking of classified information over Signal — the real threat,” she said, referring to how several of Trump’s top national security officials recently used the publicly available messaging app Signal to relay sensitive information about military strikes in Yemen. “The American people deserve answers — now including why General Haugh was relieved of his duties. The case is not closed.”