Press Releases

Washington, DC — Today, Ranking Member of the House Intelligence Committee Jim Himes wrote to Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard and Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth asking for a public explanation for the removal of General Timothy Haugh as Director of the National Security Agency (NSA) and Commander of U.S. Cyber Command, as well as the reassignment of NSA Deputy Director Wendy Noble.

“Given the critical importance of these positions to our national security and the rash nature of the dismissals, the public and your congressional overseers require a clear explanation of the rationale and circumstances behind these decisions,” Himes wrote. “Both General Haugh and Deputy Director Noble were highly qualified for their positions and have faithfully and lawfully executed their duties in an exemplary manner across multiple administrations.”

The letter continued: “Public reporting suggests that your removal of these officials was driven by a fringe social media personality, which represents a deeply troubling breach of the norms that safeguard our national security apparatus from political pressure and conspiracy theories. The notion that senior leadership at critical agencies protecting our nation could be dismissed based on the whims of an online influencer is chilling and demands immediate clarification.”

The full text of the letter is available here.