National Security Council staffers fired after Trump met with far-right activist Laura Loomer: Sources
The White House has fired a handful of National Security Council staffers following a Wednesday meeting with far-right political activist Laura Loomer, who made recommendations to President Donald Trump about who he should fire, sources familiar with the matter told ABC News.
Loomer met with Trump Wednesday, shortly before his tariff announcement in the Rose Garden, the sources said. Trump's chief of staff Susie Wiles, Vice President JD Vance and the head of personnel Sergio Gor were involved in the meeting. Rep. Scott Perry was also present, but he was scheduled to meet with Trump about a variety of different topics, the sources added.
Trump told reporters on Air Force One on his way to Florida on Thursday that Loomer had recommended several people for jobs in the administration, but she was not involved in the NSC firings.
"She makes recommendations of things and people, and sometimes I listen to those recommendations, like I do with everybody," Trump said. "I listen to everybody, and then I make a decision. But I saw her yesterday. She was at the ceremony, and she is -- she'll always have something to say, usually very constructive."
Trump said he didn't know how many staffers were let go but did comment on the loyalty of some.
"Always, we're gonna let go of people. People that we don't like, or people that we don't think that can do the job, or people that may have loyalties to somebody else," he said.
NSC spokesman Brian Hughes said in a statement that the "NSC doesn't comment on personnel matters."
The New York Times was first to report on Trump's meeting with Loomer.
"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 research 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," Loomer told ABC News in a statement.
Loomer has frequently spread misinformation. In July, she claimed in a social media post, without citing evidence, that President Joe Biden had a medical emergency after landing at Joint Base Andrews.
She had also started unsubstantiated claims about family members of Judge Juan Merchan in Trump's New York hush money case, including that his daughter posted a fake photo of Trump in jail on social media, which the court has denied. It prompted Trump to share Loomer's posts and spread the rumors.
Loomer accompanied Trump to several campaign events last fall -- a move that prompted criticism from some Republicans at the time.
While it's not clear whether any of the recent firings are directly related to national security adviser Mike Waltz and his staff's use of the messaging app, Signal to communicate about sensitive topics, it comes as Waltz has had to privately defend himself and his staff to the president and other senior White House staffers.
The day after the inauguration, the Trump administration purged more than 150 NSC staffers because the new administration wanted to make sure the the goals of the NSC aligned with Trump's agenda. Firing the nonpolitical staffers, who typically serve two-year stints on the council, has left the NSC severely understaffed and lacking subject matter experts from across government.
