Trump fires NSA director

President Donald Trump has abruptly fired the director of the National Security Agency, according to US officials and members of Congress, but the White House and the Pentagon have provided no reasons for the move.

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Senior military leaders were informed Thursday of the firing of Air Force Gen. Tim Haugh, who also oversaw the Pentagon’s Cyber Command, the officials said. They received no advance notice about the decision to remove a four-star general with a 33-year career in intelligence and cyber operations, according to the officials, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss personnel decisions.

The move has triggered sharp criticism from members of Congress and demands for an immediate explanation. And it marks the latest dismissal of national security officials by Trump at a time when Republican administration faces criticism over his failure to take any action against other key leaders’ use of an unclassified Signal messaging chat that included The Atlantic Editor-in-Chief Jeffrey Goldberg to discuss plans for a military strike.

It’s unclear who now is in charge of the NSA and the Cyber Command.

Also fired was Haugh’s civilian deputy at the NSA, Wendy Noble.