White House national security officials fired, sources say, in Trump's first purge

By Erin Banco, Gram Slattery, Karen Freifeld and Andrea Shalal

(Reuters) - At least six White House National Security Council officials have been fired or reassigned, according to several people familiar with the matter, in what appears to be the first significant purge of Donald Trump's second presidency.

The shakeup at the NSC, which advises the president on the most important security challenges facing the country, comes at a volatile geopolitical moment, one day after the Trump administration slapped major tarrifs on almost every country in the world and as the administration struggles to negotiate an end to the war in Ukraine.

It was not clear exactly why the officials were let go. But three of the sources said several were told there were issues with their background vetting.

One of the sources said there were also concerns about leaks to the media, while two other sources suggested the ouster was aimed broadly at officials who held views that were seen as too interventionist for the liking of Trump's allies.

On Wednesday, Trump met right-wing conspiracy theorist Laura Loomer, who privately called on the president to fire some NSC staffers. The New York Times was the first to report their meeting, while Axios first reported on the NSC purge on Thursday.

Any connection between Loomer's suggestions and the firings was not immediately clear, and two sources said some dismissals came before Loomer met with Trump.

But multiple sources said Loomer, who has a history of peddling Islamophobic conspiracy theories, did provide Trump with a list of national security staff perceived by her to be disloyal to Trump. Loomer appeared to largely confirm that on social media on Thursday.

"It was an honor to meet with President Trump and present him with my research findings," Loomer wrote on X.

Among the NSC officials who were fired were David Feith, a senior director overseeing technology and national security, Brian Walsh, a senior director overseeing intelligence matters, and Thomas Boodry, who oversees legislative affairs, three sources familiar with the matter told Reuters.

Maggie Dougherty, who oversaw international organizations at the NSC, was also let go, two sources said.

The dismissal of Dougherty, comes as the United States is dramatically rethinking how it engages with NATO amid a broader shift in America's defense posture away from Europe.

Trump briefly addressed the firings on Thursday afternoon, telling reporters aboard Air Force One that some national security officials had been let go, without elaborating. He said Loomer had recommended some people to him for administration positions, but said she did not have anything to do with the ousted NSC officials.

The National Security Council, which declined to comment, has been dogged by negative headlines since March, when National Security Advisor Mike Waltz inadvertently added a journalist to a Signal chat, in which top Trump officials discussed an imminent bombing campaign in Yemen.

Trump had repeatedly expressed to associates in private that he was angry with Waltz, and the advisor appeared close to losing his job, according to two sources familiar with the dynamic.

But one of the sources said in recent days that Waltz himself appeared to be safe for now.

The precise foreign policy impacts of the national security purge, if any, were unclear, and the portfolios of the fired staffers appeared to have relatively little overlap.

(Reporting by Erin Banco in New York and Karen Freifeld, Gram Slattery and Andrea Shalal in Washington; Additional reporting by Steve Holland, Jonathan Landay and Michael Martina in Washington and Trevor Hunnicutt aboard Air Force One; Editing by Michelle Nichols, Nick Zieminski and Daniel Wallis)