A conspiracy theorist convinced Trump to fire the NSA director
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Welcome to The Logoff: Donald Trump’s tariffs, and the economic havoc they’re wreaking, are still dominating the headlines. But today I want to focus on a story I worry is going under the radar: the president outsourcing national security staffing decisions to a far-right conspiracy theorist.
What’s the latest? Trump fired Gen. Timothy Haugh, the head of the National Security Agency and US Cyber Command, on Thursday. Haugh and several other high-ranking national security officials were booted after Trump met with Laura Loomer, who urged him to purge “disloyal” figures from his national security team. Loomer took credit for the firings, while Trump denied she was involved.
Who is Laura Loomer? She’s a far-right activist and social media personality known for her embrace of conspiracy theories, her self-described Islamophobia, and her loyalty to Trump. She has claimed 9/11 was an inside job, that Joe Biden was behind the July attempt to assassinate Trump, and that multiple school shootings were staged.
Who is Haugh? He’s a four-star general whom Joe Biden nominated to lead NSA. The Senate confirmed him in 2023 with overwhelming bipartisan support. Before that, he co-led a 2018 effort to prevent Russian interference in the midterms.
Why does it matter who directs the NSA? The agency has extraordinary power to wiretap Americans and engage in cyber espionage, and its leader has great influence over whether that power is abused.
Is this legal? Yes. The NSA director serves at the pleasure of the president.
So what’s the big picture? Trump says Loomer was not involved in the firings, but that’s not credible, given their timing and his track record with the truth. So it appears that a conspiracy theorist was given significant influence over leadership of agencies that have the power to infringe on civil liberties.
And with that, it’s time to log off…
I hate being bored. I’m not great at sitting still, and I get anxious when I have to do so. At even a hint of boredom, I reflexively reach for my phone, which too often ends in time wasted on games or passive scrolling, and that somehow only makes me more bored. So I was really grateful for this article about how boredom isn’t a punishment — it’s a tool. Boredom, my colleague Allie Volpe writes, can help you know “when you’ve gone off track from what you value and what you care about and what you can give to the world.” Take good care this weekend, and I’ll see you back here on Monday.