President Trump has moved to fire several senior White House National Security Council officials soon after he was urged by far-right activist Laura Loomer to purge staffers she deemed insufficiently committed to his agenda, several people familiar with the matter said Thursday. Loomer presented her research to Trump in an Oval Office meeting on Wednesday, the people said, speaking on condition of anonymity. Vice President JD Vance, chief of staff Susie Wiles, national security adviser Mike Waltz, and Serio Gor, the director of the Presidential Personnel Office, took part in the meeting, reports the AP.
CNN lists those fired thusly:
- "Brian Walsh, a director for intelligence and a former top staffer for now-Secretary of State Marco Rubio on the Senate Intelligence Committee; Thomas Boodry, a senior director for legislative affairs who previously served as Waltz's legislative director in Congress; and David Feith, a senior director overseeing technology and national security who served in the State Department during Trump's first administration." CNN notes that Principal Deputy National Security Adviser Alex Wong had not been fired on Wednesday, but a White House source said that move could come as soon as Thursday.
NSC spokesman Brian Hughes declined to comment on the meeting or the firings. Loomer, who has promoted 9/11 conspiracy theories, was a frequent presence on the campaign trail during Trump's 2024 White House run. More recently, she's been speaking out on social media about some members of Trump's national security team that she insists can't be trusted. Loomer in a posting on X declined to comment. The move by Trump to push out staff comes at a moment when his national security adviser, Mike Waltz, is fighting back criticism over using the publicly available encrypted Signal app to discuss planning for a March military operation targeting Houthi militants in Yemen.
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