Laura Loomer's Oval office pitch sparks wave of firings at NSC by Trump

President Donald Trump dismissed six National Security Council (NSC) staffers following a meeting in the Oval Office where far-right activist Laura Loomer presented a dossier alleging disloyalty among senior officials, international media reported.

Four staffers were removed overnight after the meeting, and two others were dismissed earlier in the week.

The firings reportedly included Brian Walsh, senior director for intelligence; Thomas Boodry, senior director for legislative affairs; and Maggie Dougherty, senior director for international organisations.

Loomer presented Trump with a booklet claiming disloyalty by several officials, including NSC principal deputy Alex Wong.

The meeting was attended by national security adviser Mike Waltz, Chief of Staff Susie Wiles, Vice President JD Vance, and Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick.

Although the firings appeared sudden, one official said parts of Loomer’s opposition research were verified, including social media posts critical of Trump and affiliations with Republican establishment figures like John McCain and Mitch McConnell.

Wong, a target of Loomer's criticism, was not dismissed. Loomer has publicly accused Wong of links to the Chinese Communist Party due to his wife’s role at the Department of Justice in prosecuting Capitol rioters.

The White House and NSC have not commented publicly.

The firings come in the wake of a security breach involving a Signal group chat where Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth shared classified information. Loomer alleged the incident was a deliberate sabotage by Wong, though internal investigations attributed the inclusion of The Atlantic editor Jeffrey Goldberg to an error by Waltz.

Loomer’s access to the White House, despite lacking a press credential, has raised questions about internal protocols. During the meeting, she reportedly sat opposite Trump and lobbied directly for the firings.

Waltz, who left the White House with Trump on Marine One Thursday, appears to retain the president’s backing, although his influence within the inner circle has reportedly diminished.

Moreover, the director of the US National Security Agency was also fired on Thursday, the Washington Post reported, citing two current and one former US officials.

Timothy Haugh, who is also head of US Cyber Command, was dismissed along with his deputy at the NSA, Wendy Noble, the newspaper said.

Noble was reassigned to a job within the Pentagon's office of the Undersecretary of Defense for Intelligence, the newspaper said. The NSA is part of the US Defense Department.

The current and former officials cited by the Washington Post said they did not know the reason for Haugh’s dismissal or Noble’s reassignment.