 "White House sacks NSC officials after Trump meets with far-right activist")
The White House has dismissed several administration officials, including at least three members of the National Security Council (NSC), following a meeting between President Donald Trump and far-right activist Laura Loomer, US media outlets reported on Friday (IST). The firings have raised concerns about the growing influence of external political figures on national security personnel decisions.
Loomer, known for promoting conspiracy theories and controversial views, reportedly urged Trump to remove several NSC staff members, alleging their disloyalty to the administration. She entered the White House on Wednesday (local time) armed with documents that purportedly questioned the loyalty of multiple officials. National Security Adviser Michael Waltz, who joined the meeting later, made an attempt to defend some of his staff but appeared to have little authority in preventing their dismissals, despite being the head of the agency.
Loomer may have influenced firing of security officials
A report by CNN states Loomer compiled a list of a dozen individuals, and her meeting with Trump directly led to the subsequent firings. Among those dismissed were Brian Walsh, a director for intelligence; Thomas Boodry, a senior director for legislative affairs; and David Feith, a senior director focused on technology and national security. All had undergone vetting processes, including assessments of their alignment with Trump’s agenda, under the supervision of Sergio Gor, the director of the Presidential Personnel Office.
Trump denies Loomer’s influence
President Trump, speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One on Thursday, defended the decision to dismiss officials, stating, “We’re always going to let go of people – people we don’t like, people we don’t think can do the job, or people that may have loyalties to someone else.” However, he denied that Loomer played a role in the firings, instead describing her as “a very good patriot”.
High ranking officials targetted
Principal Deputy National Security Adviser Alex Wong was among Loomer’s primary targets, with accusations that he was a ‘Never Trumper’. The CNN report suggested that Waltz may have hesitated to dismiss Wong due to his involvement in a separate controversy surrounding leaked Signal messages related to US military strikes on Yemen. Waltz and his team have faced scrutiny over their handling of these messages, which led to internal criticism. Loomer has accused Wong of adding the journalist to the Yemen strike group chat on purpose to embarrass the administration. There is no evidence to back this claim.
While Waltz himself remains in his position, a report by The New York Times claims Trump is monitoring how the situation unfolds before making further personnel decisions. Waltz was seen traveling with Trump to Miami on Thursday ahead of the LIV Golf tournament at Trump’s Doral club in Miami, suggesting he still holds the president’s confidence for now.
Staff loyalty meeting
The meeting in which Loomer advocated for the firings was attended by several high-profile officials, including White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, Communications Director Steven Cheung, and Vice President JD Vance. Republican Representative Scott Perry of Pennsylvania, a staunch Trump ally, was also present and reportedly brought his own concerns about staff loyalty to the discussion. It is unclear what Trump and his administration regard as “loyalty” in this context.
This is not the first instance of external figures pushing for changes within national security ranks. Previously, activist Christopher Rufo released internal logs alleging inappropriate messages exchanged by intelligence staff, leading to firings ordered by Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard. More famously, tech billionaire Elon Musk managed to secure an advisory position, however temporary, to influence major funding cuts in the US government.
Who is Laura Loomer?
Laura Loomer, a far-right activist and conspiracy theorist, is known for her outspoken anti-Muslim views and promotion of controversial theories, including claims that the September 11 attacks were an ‘inside job’. A graduate of Barry University in 2015, Loomer has worked with right-wing outlets like Project Veritas, Rebel News, and InfoWars.
Loomer ran as the Republican nominee for Florida’s 2020 House elections but lost to Democrat Lois Frankel. She also failed to secure a spot in the 2022 Republican primary. Despite facing bans from platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter for hate speech and misinformation, Loomer continues to be active on alternative social media sites.
Loomer has maintained a connection with former President Trump, meeting him to present her findings, though she declined to share specifics about their discussions. “Out of respect for President Trump and the privacy of the Oval Office, I’m going to decline to divulge details,” she twrote in a post on X. Despite controversies, Loomer remains a prominent figure within far-right political circles.