Trump national security officials fired in White House shake-up
Far-right conspiracy theorist Laura Loomer had raised concerns directly to Trump about staff loyalty
At least six White House National Security Council officials have been fired or reassigned, according to several people familiar with the matter, in what appeared to be the first significant purge of Donald Trump’s second presidency.
It was not clear exactly why the officials were let go. But three of the sources said several were told there were issues with their background vetting.
One of the sources said there were also concerns about leaks to the media, while two other sources suggested the ouster was aimed broadly at officials who held views that were seen as too interventionist for the liking of Trump’s allies.
On Wednesday, Trump met with right-wing conspiracy theorist Laura Loomer, who privately called on the president to fire some NSC staffers. The New York Times was the first to report their meeting, while Axios first reported on the NSC purge on Thursday.