Donald Trump
Six National Security Council employees were dismissed following an intense gathering in the Oval Office, during which far-right figure Laura Loomer shared research suggesting these staff members displayed disloyalty toward the U.S. president. This account comes from two individuals privy to the details of the incident.
The dismissals included four employees let go overnight following the meeting, along with two others who were ousted during the weekend. This led to an unusual circumstance wherein Loomer seemed to wield greater influence than National Security Adviser Mike Waltz within the NSC, effectively undermining Waltz as his staff members were being terminated under his watch.
Loomer presented a booklet containing documents outlining the alleged disloyalty of around a dozen employees at the gathering. Attendees included Waltz’s top aide, Alex Wong; JD Vance, who served as Chief of Staff; Susie Wiles, the Secretary of Commerce; Howard Lutnick; and Waltz himself.
The dismissed officials comprised Brian Walsh, the top advisor for intelligence matters who had earlier collaborated with Secretary of State Marco Rubio when he was part of the Senate Intelligence Committee; Thomas Boodry, the principal advisor for legislative issues who formerly held the role of Waltz’s legislative director in Congress; and Maggie Dougherty, the key advisor focusing on international bodies, according to sources.
While the firings appeared arbitrary, one of the people said that the White House looked through Loomer’s opposition research and verified parts of it. Ultimately, it found that one NSC official had recently criticized Trump on social media and others had ties to Republican establishment figures like the senators John McCain and Mitch McConnell, whom Trump despises.
The dismissals did not involve Wong, whom Loomer has singled out as a primary target. Loomer has criticized Wong due to actions taken by his spouse, Candice, at the Justice Department, where she was involved in prosecuting individuals from the January 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol. Additionally, Loomer has made public statements alleging that Wong holds sympathies for the Chinese Communist Party.
Loomer didn’t promptly reply to texts questioning the alleged misdeeds of the NSC officials she criticized. A representative for the NSC, Brian Hughes, also chose not to address requests for commentary.
However, following Waltz’s accidental addition of an Atlantic reporter to a Signal group chat, where Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth was sharing information regarding a U.S. military operation against the Houthis in Yemen, Loomer implied that Wong and other professional NSC staffers were attempting to undermine Trump by instigating a controversy.
She unfoundedly alleged that Wong intentionally included the Atlantic’s editor-in-chief, Jeffrey Goldberg, in the confidential chat “with the aim of implicating the Trump administration as part of a Chinese disinformation campaign.” (The White House’s ultimate internal assessment,
the Guardian has reported
Was that waltz mistakenly included by Waltz himself in the Goldberg?
Loomer has been among the Trump supporters who have criticized Waltz and his team, labeling them as “neocons” — shorthand for neo-conservatives — derogatorily. They use this term to condemn these individuals for their aggressive stance and readiness to deploy U.S. military might internationally, which contrasts sharply with President Trump’s “America First” approach to international relations.
On Wednesday, the online criticism of Waltz and his team escalated when Loomer showed up at the White House for the meeting. It remained unclear how Loomer managed to gain entry into the White House premises without having a “hard pass,” despite being a journalist, which has been a contentious point that she has voiced concerns about recently.
Loomer sat opposite Trump in the Oval Office while pitching directly to him to have the individuals she targeted removed.
New York Times reported
It turns out that Republican Representative Scott Perry, who harbored doubts about staff members within the administration, was simultaneously attempting to secure a meeting with Trump.
The impact on Waltz remained unclear. On Thursday, he departed the White House alongside Trump aboard Marine One, indicating presidential backing since the president had refrained from dismissing Waltz earlier in the week due to the Signal app incident. Additionally, sources noted that Waltz has been increasingly showing respect towards Wiles, the chief of staff, as part of his efforts to gain her favor.
However, Waltz’s political adversaries highlight that he managed to survive the Signal chat incident mainly due to his tactics.
Trump was not ready to concede a win to the news media.
, and not due to his trust in Waltz. Instead, his primary supporter is seen to be Senator Lindsey Graham, rather than having a group of supporters within Trump’s close-knit team.
