Sources: Trump dismisses NSA Director in surprise move
Shafaq News/ US President Donald Trump unexpectedly dismissed the director of the National Security Agency (NSA), according to US officials and congressional members.
Both the White House and the Pentagon did not provide reasons for the decision. Sources said that senior military leaders were informed Thursday of the firing of General Tim Hogue, a US Air Force officer who had also been overseeing the Pentagon's cyber operations.
Officials, speaking on condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of personnel matters, noted that military leaders received no prior notice about the removal of the four-star general, who had spent 33 years in intelligence and cybersecurity roles.
The decision has sparked sharp criticism from some members of Congress.
The dismissal is the latest in a series of departures of national security officials under President Trump, as his administration faces scrutiny over its failure to take action against senior officials who used the non-secure "Signal" app for text exchanges in a group chat that included Jeffrey Goldberg, editor-in-chief of The Atlantic, to discuss plans for a military strike on Yemen.
It remains unclear who will now lead the NSA and the cyber command. Hogue’s civilian deputy at the NSA, Wendy Noble, was also dismissed. Media reports have criticized the National Security Council (NSC) since March, after National Security Adviser Mike Waltz inadvertently added journalist Goldberg to the discussion.
On Thursday, three sources told Reuters that several senior officials at the NSC had been removed from their positions in what appeared to be the first "major purge" of Trump’s second term.
The reasons for their dismissal remain unclear, as does whether their removal is permanent. However, sources indicated that some officials had been informed of issues related to their background checks.
One source told Reuters that there were also concerns about leaks to the media, while two other sources suggested that the firings were aimed at officials whose views were considered too interventionist for Trump’s allies.
