The Trump administration fired Timothy Howe, the director of National Security and Cyber Command.
A career military official, Haugh led the National Security Agency, the leading US eavesdropping and intelligence newsletter agency, less than a year after his predecessor’s retirement. Haugh also oversaw Cyber Command, a military unit that engages in offensive cyber operations against US enemies.
The Washington Post and the New York Times, which first reported the news, said shootings would occur after right-wing activist Laura Rumer, along with other national security officials, advocated for the firing of Howe during a meeting with President Donald Trump on Thursday.
Reports also found Wendy Noble, the deputy NSA director who served as the agency’s top private leader, was let go.
It is not clear who is overseeing the NSA and Cyber Command following Haugh’s firing.
A White House spokesman did not immediately comment on the reasons for Haugh’s removal.
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National Security Agency spokesman Eddie Bennett has postponed comments to the Department of Defense, which houses the NSA.
A Pentagon spokesman who did not provide the name told TechCrunch that the organization “sees the report, but at this point there’s nothing to offer,” and that “we’ll provide more information when it becomes available.”
The move to expel one of the country’s top intelligence officers, to their surprise, appeared to capture a senior lawmaker overseeing the agency.
In a statement, Virginia Democrat Senator and vice-chairman of the Senate Intelligence Email Committee, Mark Warner, has been called the news of Howe’s “surprising” firing.
“For over 30 years, General Haugh has served our nation in uniform with honor and distinction,” Warner said. “How is he making Americans safer, as the salt typhoon cyberattack from China emphasizes so clearly when the US faces an unprecedented cyber threat?”
Warner also criticized the Trump administration for laying off the charges for “not taking any team members responsible” for sharing confidential information about Yemen’s airstrikes in signal messaging group chats with other senior cabinet-level officials, including journalists.
Democrat Jim Himez, who heads the House Intelligence Election Committee, said he was “deeply disturbed” by his decision to eliminate Hauf.
In March, The Wall Street Journal reported that Elon Musk, the Trump administration’s government efficiency leader, met with Hoef at the NSA headquarters in Fort Mead, Maryland. At the time, the NSA said the meeting was to ensure that its priorities were consistent with the Trump administration.
Musk had previously asked for an “overhaul” at the spy agency, but did not provide details.
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