The Trump administration named Lt. Gen. William J. Hartman as acting director of the National Security Agency (NSA) late Thursday, just hours after dismissing top officials, an agency spokesperson told The Hill.  Hartman will also serve as acting commander for the U.S. Cyber Command and acting c hief for the Central Security Service. Sheila Thomas was designated as acting deputy director, according to the official. The lieutenant is a distinguished military graduate of the University of South Alabama, where he received his commission through the Reserve Officer’s Training Corps as an Infantry Officer according to his profile on the NSA website. Throughout his career, Hartman has worked in infantry, military intelligence and as a Cyberspace Operations Officer with assignments in the U.S., Italy, Germany, the Republic of Korea, Iraq, Afghanistan and Turkey. The latest designation became effective after President Trump ousted NSA Director Gen. Timothy Haugh, and several other high-ranking security officials, over disputes about their loyalty prompted by far-right activist Laura Loomer.  Brian Walsh, senior director of intelligence; Thomas Boodry, senior director of legislative affairs; and David Feith, senior director of technology and national security were also fired amid the fallout. “Laura Loomer is a great patriot. She’s a very strong person,” Trump told reporters on Air Force One earlier this week. “She makes recommendations on things and people, and sometimes I listen to those recommendations, like I do with everybody. I listen to everybody, and then I make a decision." “We’re always going to let go of people,” the president added. “People we don’t like or people that take advantage of or people that may have loyalties to someone else.”  Their removal comes weeks after a journalist was inadvertently added to a Signal group chat that included national security adviser Mike Waltz, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and other top Trump administration officials, where they discussed launching strikes on Houthi rebels in Yemen. Despite critics calling for Waltz and Hegseth to resign over the controversy, the White House aid it remains full confidence in both leaders. The administration conducted a speedy investigation into the perceived breach, and on Monday declared the issue "closed." Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle have criticized the administration over the ordeal and signaled earlier this week that their probe into the incident will continue. Experts have also suggested the breach likely violated the Espionage Act. ...read more read less