White House withdraws NSA deputy director nomination

The White House withdrew the nomination of Joe Francescon for the position of deputy director of the NSA National Security (NSA). This decision coincides with the upcoming retirement of the acting deputy director and keeps relevant vacancies open within the agency's leadership structure.

Rep. Don Bacon (R-NE) noted on X that the administration had previously selected Francescon for the deputy director position. In his release, he said that the lack of final appointments has prolonged the absence of leadership in key cybersecurity positions.

Bacon added that the United States faces ongoing hostile cyber activities and expressed concern about the delay in completing the command structure. In the same message, he attributed the situation to internal disagreements within the White House and mentioned the involvement of conservative activist Laura Loomer in the hiring processes.

Reasons behind the decision

A White House official told The Hill that the position of deputy director of the National Security Agency is not subject to Senate confirmation and that, for that reason, a formal nomination was never submitted to the Senate.

Laura Loomer publicly reacted to the withdrawal of the nomination on social media. In her posts, she expressed objections to Francescon's political record, noting that he had donated in 2023 to Democratic Rep. Jason Crow's campaign in Colorado.

Crow was among a group of Democratic lawmakers who recently participated in a video targeting members of the Armed Forces, in which they were reminded that the military is not obligated to carry out illegal orders.