US far-right activist raises loyalty test that could deepen purge of security agencies

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - While National Security Agency chief General Timothy Haugh apparently was not told why he was abruptly fired this week, a far-right activist who urged President Donald Trump to dismiss him offered one explanation: his alleged ties to retired Army general and Trump critic Mark Milley.

In an X post on Friday, conspiracy theorist Laura Loomer denounced Haugh as "HAND PICKED by General Milley" without providing evidence. This set off a storm of speculation among current and former Pentagon officials about who might be next, given the hundreds of people Milley worked with during a four-decade military career.

Many current and former officials said they worry any national security official could be suspected of disloyalty by Trump's inner circle because of their perceived links to officials who have fallen out of favor or just for having served in key roles during Joe Biden's presidency.

A former senior official said that every four-star general should now be concerned about their future and wondered whether Loomer would go after other officials whose promotions or nominations could somehow be linked to Milley, even if the link is tenuous.

"I will be releasing more names of individuals who should not be in the Trump administration due to their questionable loyalty & past attacks on President Trump," Loomer wrote on X.

Uniformed members of the military have long prided themselves on being non-partisan executors of U.S. government policy. But Democratic lawmakers said the firings showed Trump was willing to trade away an apolitical military for one that is loyal to him.

"He is sending a chilling message throughout the ranks: don't give your best military advice, or you may face consequences," said Senator Jack Reed, the top Democrat on the Senate Armed Services Committee.

The news of Haugh's firing, along with those of NSA Deputy Director Wendy Noble and at least 10 members of the White House national security council, marked an unpredictable and potentially deepening national security purge.

In recent weeks, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General C.Q. Brown, as well as other admirals, generals and security staff have already been dismissed.

If ties to Milley are one litmus test for loyalty for Trump's administration, a possibility first reported by Reuters, many more leaders could be vulnerable.

Those promoted during Milley's career include General Michael Kurilla, who leads U.S. forces in the Middle East, or General Christopher Cavoli, head of U.S. troops in Europe. Both are nearing retirement.

General James Mingus, Army vice chief of staff, and Major General James Work, leader of the 82nd Airborne Division, are two more seen as potential targets, officials added.

However, Milley would only have acted as an adviser on such promotions, which are decided by the president and the defense secretary.

'WANNABE DICTATOR'

Milley was Trump's top military adviser between 2019 and early 2021 then had a dramatic falling out with his boss. At his retirement ceremony in 2023, Milley took a veiled jab at Trump, saying U.S. troops take an oath to the Constitution and not a "wannabe dictator."

Milley called Trump "fascist to the core" in a book by journalist Bob Woodward published last year.

Within hours of Trump's inauguration on January 20, the Pentagon removed Milley's picture from a portrait display of all former top U.S. military officers. It then revoked his personal security detail and his security clearance and announced an inquiry that could lead to a demotion in rank.

Loomer met with Trump at the White House a day before Haugh's dismissal on Thursday, and multiple sources said she provided Trump with a list of national security staff whom she said were disloyal to the president.

In her X post on Friday, Loomer, who has previously promoted Islamophobic conspiracy theories, thanked Trump for "being receptive" to her recommendations about who should be fired. Trump told reporters he would let go of people "that may have loyalties to someone else."

(Reporting by Phil Stewart and Idrees Ali; Additional reporting by Erin Banco in New York; Editing by Don Durfee and Cynthia Osterman)