**Washington:** Donald Trump has fired six National Security Council officials after an extraordinary meeting in the Oval Office with far-right activist [Laura Loomer,](/link/follow-20170101-p5kabx) who laid out a list of people she believed were disloyal to the president, US officials say.
Asked about it on Air Force One, the US president said: “We sometimes let go of people we don’t like,” according to Reuters.
Laura Loomer talks to Stephen Bannon in February.Credit: Leigh Vogel
The firings were described by one of the US officials, who had direct knowledge of the matter. The decision came after Loomer vilified the staff members by name during the meeting on Wednesday, when she walked into the White House with a sheaf of papers attacking the character and loyalty of numerous NSC officials. Michael Waltz, the national security adviser, joined later in the meeting and briefly defended some of his staff, though it was clear he had little if any power to protect their jobs.
It was a remarkable spectacle: Loomer, who has floated the baseless conspiracy theory that the September 11 attacks were an “inside job” and is viewed as extreme even by some of Trump’s far-right allies, was apparently wielding more influence over the staff of the National Security Council than Waltz, who runs the agency.
The account of the White House meeting with Loomer and the subsequent firings is based on interviews with eight people with knowledge of the events. They asked for anonymity to discuss confidential meetings and conversations.
The people fired included Brian Walsh, the senior director for intelligence; Maggie Dougherty, the senior director for international organisations; and Thomas Boodry, the senior director for legislative affairs.
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Waltz was not fired, nor was one of Loomer’s top targets, deputy national security adviser Alex Wong.
Loomer, reached by phone, declined to comment. After _The New York Times_ reported on details of the meeting, she confirmed on the social platform X that she had attended the meeting but would not provide details.