Top Pentagon spy pick rejected by White House
Angle's name being withdrawn from consideration comes after POLITICO reported that both Hegseth and Gabbard have dwindling influence over the White House's Iran policy.
Trump fired the previous head of the NSA , Gen. Timothy Haugh, and his top deputy without explanation this April, following a meeting with right-wing activist Laura Loomer at the White House.
The Trump administration has been searching for permanent leadership for the powerful signals intelligence agency, as the outbreak of war between Israel and Iran raised the specter of direct American military involvement in the Middle East. Trump said Thursday he'll decide whether to join the war within the next two weeks.
Angle does not have the typical background favored for the role. He is the commander of Allied Special Operations Forces Command and Special Operations Command Europe. And despite serving as deputy commanding general of operations for the U.S. Army Cyber Command in 2019, he has less background in cybersecurity and intelligence than recent heads of the NSA, including Haugh and his predecessor, Gen. Paul Nakasone.
The head of the NSA is 'dual-hatted' and also helms U.S. Cyber Command. The Trump administration is reportedly reviewing that arrangement , though Hegseth testified Wednesday that the department for now is 'maintaining the status quo.' The role of director of the NSA requires Senate confirmation.
With his background in special operations forces, Angle may have appealed to Hegseth's desire to reorient the Pentagon around 'lethality.'
One of the two former senior national security officials and another former Trump administration official said Angle met Hegseth on the sidelines of a special operations forces conference in Tampa early last month.
Maggie Miller contributed to this report.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
USA Today
16 minutes ago
- USA Today
Speaker Mike Johnson touts passing of spending bill as Dems lament
Speaker Mike Johnson touts passing of spending bill as Dems lament After Republicans' sweeping spending bill passed out of Congress, House Speaker Mike Johnson said it'll be "a great thing" for every American.
Fox News
17 minutes ago
- Fox News
‘The Five': Victory stalled by a 'big, beautiful stunt'
All times eastern Special Report with Bret Baier Fox Business In Depth: "Reenergizing America" Kelsey Grammer's Historic Battles for America Kelsey Grammer's Historic Battles for America Kelsey Grammer's Historic Battles for America FOX News Radio Live Channel Coverage WATCH LIVE: Trump kicks off July 4th weekend with remarks at the Iowa State Fairground
San Francisco Chronicle
17 minutes ago
- San Francisco Chronicle
MAGA faithful cheer Trump for pausing Ukraine weapons after bristling at Iran strikes
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump is getting praise from his most ardent supporters for withholding some weapons from Ukraine after they recently questioned the Republican leader's commitment to keeping the U.S. out of foreign conflicts. This week's announcement pausing deliveries of key air defense missiles, precision-guided artillery and other equipment to Ukraine comes just a few weeks after Trump ordered the U.S. military to carry out strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities. Bombing those sites in Iran had some hardcore supporters of the "Make America Great Again" movement openly questioning whether Trump was betraying his vow to keep America out of 'stupid wars" as he inserted the U.S. military into Israel's conflict with Tehran. With the Ukraine pause, which affects a crucial resupply of Patriot missiles, Trump is sending the message to his most enthusiastic backers that he is committed to following through on his campaign pledge to wind down American support for Ukraine's efforts to repel Russia, a conflict he has repeatedly described as a costly boondoggle for U.S. taxpayers. 'The choice was this: either prioritize equipping our own troops with a munition in short supply (and which was used to defend U.S. troops last week) or provide them to a country where there are limited U.S. interests,' Dan Caldwell, who was ousted as a senior adviser to Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, posted on X. Caldwell publicly worried before the Iran strikes that U.S. involvement could incite a major war and ultimately cost American lives. Far-right influencer Jack Posobiec, another ardent MAGA backer, warned as Trump weighed whether to carry out strikes on Iran last month that such a move 'would disastrously split the Trump coalition." Both the White House and the Pentagon have justified the move as being consistent with Trump's campaign pledge to limit U.S. involvement in foreign wars. 'The president was elected on an America first platform to put America first,' Pentagon chief spokesman Sean Parnell said. At the same time, the decision is stirring anxiety among those in the more hawkish wing of the Republican Party. Many are flummoxed by Trump's halting the flow of U.S. arms just as Russia accelerates its unrelenting assault on Ukraine. Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick, a Pennsylvania Republican who hails from a district that former Vice President Kamala Harris won in 2024, wrote to Trump and the Pentagon on Wednesday expressing 'serious concern' about the decision and requesting an emergency briefing. 'We can't let (Russian President Vladimir) Putin prevail now. President Trump knows that too and it's why he's been advocating for peace,' Rep. Michael McCaul, a Texas Republican, wrote on X. 'Now is the time to show Putin we mean business. And that starts with ensuring Ukraine has the weapons Congress authorized to pressure Putin to the negotiating table.' Trump spoke by phone with Putin on Thursday, the sixth call between the leaders since Trump's return to office. The leaders discussed Iran, Ukraine and other issues but did not specifically address the suspension of some U.S. weapons shipments to Ukraine, according to Yuri Ushakov, Putin's foreign affairs adviser. Zelenskyy said in Denmark after meeting with major European Union backers that he hopes to talk to Trump in the coming days about the suspension. The administration says it is part of global review of the U.S. stockpile and is a necessary audit after sending nearly $70 billion in arms to Ukraine since Putin launched the war on Ukraine in February 2022. The pause was coordinated by Pentagon policy chief Elbridge Colby. Colby, before taking his position, spoke publicly about the need to focus U.S. strategy more on China, widely seen as the United States' biggest economic and military competitor. At his Senate confirmation hearing in March, he said the U.S. doesn't have a 'multi-war military.' 'This is the restrainers like Colby flexing their muscle and saying, 'Hey, the Pacific is more important,'' said retired Navy Adm. Mark Montgomery, an analyst at the Foundation for the Defense of Democracies. Backers of a more restrained U.S. foreign policy say the move is necessary, given an unsettled Middle East, rising challenges in Asia and the stress placed on the U.S. defense industrial complex after more than three years of war in Ukraine. 'You're really coming up to the point where continuing to provide aid to Ukraine is putting at risk the U.S. ability to operate in future crises,' said Jennifer Kavanagh, a senior fellow and director of military analysis at Defense Priorities. 'And you don't know when those crises are going to happen."
