Laura Loomer Sparks Firing of Six Security Officials
President Donald Trump has fired six National Security Council officials following an extraordinary Oval Office meeting with far-right activist Laura Loomer, who presented him with a list of staff members she deemed disloyal to his administration. The dismissals occurred just one day after the Wednesday meeting where Loomer allegedly excoriated NSC officials by name in front of the president.
“Always we’re letting go of people,” Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One on Thursday. “People that we don’t like or people that we don’t think can do the job or people that may have loyalties to somebody else.” While acknowledging the dismissals, the president downplayed Loomer’s influence, according to Associated Press.
The high-profile purge included Brian Walsh, senior director for intelligence; Maggie Dougherty, senior director for international organizations; Thomas Boodry, senior director for legislative affairs; and David Feith, senior director for technology and national security, according to sources familiar with the matter cited by The New York Times.
Meeting Dynamics Reveal Power Struggles
The 30-minute meeting reportedly featured Loomer presenting papers attacking the character and loyalty of numerous NSC officials while National Security Adviser Michael Waltz, who joined partway through, briefly attempted to defend some staff members. Vice President JD Vance, Chief of Staff Susie Wiles, and Presidential Personnel Office Director Sergio Gor were also present during the meeting.
“It was an honor to meet with President Trump and present him with my research findings,” Loomer posted on social platform X on Thursday. “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.”
Observers noted the extraordinary nature of the incident, where an outside activist with no official government role appeared to wield significant influence over national security staffing decisions. Loomer has previously promoted conspiracy theories, including suggesting the September 11 attacks were an “inside job” and has been a vocal supporter of the QAnon movement.
If Laura Loomer said something about being ethnically superior to Kamala Harris then she said something “racist”. Saying the White House would have the smell of curry is not a “racist” statement.https://t.co/fKTb5EsxLd
— MarkNo64 (@MarkNo64) April 3, 2025
Tumultuous Period for National Security Team
The firings come during a challenging period for Trump’s national security apparatus, which is already under scrutiny over the use of the publicly available Signal app to discuss sensitive military operations. Waltz, who has faced calls for his ouster following the revelation that a journalist was mistakenly added to a Signal chain discussing a Yemen operation targeting Houthi militants, appears to have survived the purge despite reportedly being one of Loomer’s targets.
The Pentagon’s acting inspector general announced Thursday a review of Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s use of Signal for conveying plans on Houthi operations, a topic that visibly frustrated the president when raised by reporters. “You’re bringing that up again,” Trump scoffed. “Don’t bring that up again. Your editor’s probably—that’s such a wasted story.”
Republican Senator Mike Rounds, who sits on Senate committees overseeing the military and national intelligence, expressed concern about the developments. “It raises eyebrows when there is a firing of people on the National Security Council or their staff, particularly people that we have respect for, who were part of the Intel community to begin with here in the Senate,” he stated.
Pattern of Personnel Decisions
This isn’t the first time Loomer appears to have influenced personnel matters. Last week, Adam Schleifer, an assistant U.S. attorney in Los Angeles, was reportedly fired without explanation shortly after Loomer posted about him on social media.
The latest dismissals follow Waltz’s earlier decision to send approximately 160 nonpolitical detailees assigned to the NSC back to their home agencies to ensure White House staff were committed to implementing Trump’s America First agenda. Critics have raised concerns that these moves have sidelined nonpolitical experts on critical matters ranging from counterterrorism to global climate policy during a period of complex international challenges.
As the administration continues to shape its national security team, the influence of outside figures like Loomer on high-level staffing decisions signals a potentially unprecedented approach to managing the government’s most sensitive security apparatus.
