The Trump administration has fired Gen. Timothy Haugh, Director of the National Security Agency (NSA), and Wendy Noble, the agency’s civilian Deputy Director. A senior defense official confirmed the dismissals to Fox News early Friday, though the reasons behind the firings remain unclear. Haugh, who also served as the head of U.S. Cyber Command, was dismissed from that position as well. Noble has reportedly been reassigned to the office of the Undersecretary of Defense for Intelligence, according to The Washington Post, which first broke the news Thursday evening. Rep. Jim Himes (D-CT), ranking member of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, called Haugh’s firing “deeply disturbing,” praising him as an “honest and forthright leader” committed to the law and national security. “I fear those are precisely the qualities that could lead to his firing in this administration,” Himes said in a statement. He demanded an “immediate explanation” for the decision. Sen. Mark Warner (D-VA), vice chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, echoed the concern, describing the firing as “astonishing.” “General Haugh has served our country in uniform, with honor and distinction, for more than 30 years,” Warner said. “At a time when the United States is facing unprecedented cyber threats, as the Salt Typhoon cyberattack from China has so clearly underscored, how does firing him make Americans any safer?” Warner also criticized Trump for allegedly dismissing Haugh while failing to hold “any member of his team accountable for leaking classified information on a commercial messaging app.” He further suggested the president is taking national security cues from far-right activist Laura Loomer, who has reportedly presented Trump with a list of allegedly disloyal National Security Council (NSC) staff. While several NSC employees were fired Thursday, Trump has denied that Loomer had any involvement in those dismissals. As of Friday morning, the White House has not provided a public explanation for the firings of Haugh and Noble. (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)