Several members of President Donald Trump's National Security Council have been dismissed, Axios and CNN reported on Thursday, following a visit by political commentator and activist Laura Loomer to the Oval Office.
A US official and another source familiar with the situation told Axios that the firings took place after Loomer visited the White House and urged Trump to remove specific NSC staffers. The source familiar with the situation described the dismissals as "being labeled as an anti-neocon move."
According to CNN, the three dismissed officials include Brian Walsh, a director for intelligence and former top staffer for now-Secretary of State Marco Rubio on the Senate Intelligence Committee; Thomas Boodry, a senior director for legislative affairs who previously served as National Security Advisor Michael Waltz's legislative director in Congress; and David Feith, a senior director overseeing technology and national security who served in the State Department during Trump's first administration. "NSC doesn't comment on personnel matters," NSC spokesman Brian Hughes said in a statement to CNN.
The US official told Axios that Loomer was angered that individuals with "neocon" foreign policy views – commonly associated with the Bush administration – had "slipped through" the administration's vetting process. Loomer, who has been described as a far-right activist with strong pro-Israel views, told CNN: "Out of respect for President Trump and the privacy of the Oval Office, I'm going to decline on divulging any details about my Oval Office meeting with President Trump. It was an honor to meet with President Trump and present him with my findings, I will continue working hard to support his agenda, and I will continue reiterating the importance of strong vetting, for the sake of protecting the President and our national security."
It was not immediately clear whether Principal Deputy National Security Advisor Alex Wong was among those dismissed. One source told CNN that National Security Advisor Michael Waltz may have been reluctant to fire Wong because Waltz has been embroiled in controversy surrounding the leaked Signal messages related to military strikes on Yemen.
President Trump considered firing Waltz during the peak of what was termed "Signalgate" but ultimately decided to retain him, refusing to "deny his critics a scalp," according to Axios.
