Trump administration fires director, deputy director of National Security Agency

WASHINGTON -- The Trump administration has fired the director and deputy director of the National Security Agency (NSA), which is an intelligence bureau under the Defense Department, US media reported early Friday.

General Timothy Haugh, and his deputy at the NSA, Wendy Noble, were both removed, CNN reported.

Lieutenant General William Hartman, an experienced military officer, is expected to serve as the NSA's acting head, the report noted.

Senator Mark Warner, the top Democrat on the Senate and House intelligence committees, issued a statement on Thursday night denouncing Haugh's firing.

The latest firings came just a few hours after several National Security Council (NSC) staffers were dismissed on Thursday. These firings follow far-right activist Laura Loomer's urging of Trump during a Wednesday meeting to remove them, calling them disloyal.

As multiple NSC staffers are being let go, National Security Adviser Michael Waltz is under scrutiny after accidentally adding The Atlantic's editor-in-chief, Jeffrey Goldberg, to a Signal chat where high-level officials discussed military strikes against the Houthi group in Yemen.