Several senior officials from the White House National Security Council were dismissed on Thursday morning, according to sources familiar with the situation, marking what seems to be the first major shake-up of Donald Trump's second term.
It's not clear exactly why the officials were let go or if their firing is permanent. But two of the sources told Reuters several were told there were issues with vetting their background.
Among the several senior NSC officials who were fired are David Feith, a senior director overseeing technology and national security, and Brian Walsh, a senior director overseeing intelligence matters, the sources told Reuters.
The National Security Council declined to comment.
The firings came a day after an Oval Office meeting between Trump and right-wing conspiracy theorist Laura Loomer, who privately called on the president to fire some NSC staffers.
Loomer presented her research to Trump, making her case for the firings of staffers she deemed insufficiently committed to his Make America Great Again agenda, several people familiar with the matter told the Associated Press (AP).
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, the people said.
Loomer, who has promoted 9/11 conspiracy theories, was a frequent presence on the campaign trail during Trump's successful 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.
“It was an honor to meet with President Trump and present him with my research findings,” Loomer said in a posting on the social media platform X.
"I will continue working hard to support his agenda, and I will continue reiterating the importance of, and the necessity of STRONG VETTING, for the sake of protecting the President of the United States of America, and our national security."
The New York Times was the first to report their meeting, while Axios first reported on the NSC firings on Thursday.
The move by Trump comes at a moment when Waltz is fighting back criticism over using the publicly available encrypted Signal app to discuss planning for the sensitive March 15 military operation targeting Houthi rebels in Yemen.
A journalist, The Atlantic magazine's Jeffrey Goldberg, was mistakenly added to the chain and revealed that Trump's team used it to discuss the precise timing of the operation, aircraft used to carry out the strikes and more.
Waltz has taken responsibility for building the text chain but has said he does not know how Goldberg ended up being included.
