According to Bloomberg News, the official responsible for managing the US nuclear weapons stockpile resigned on Friday after a conflict with Energy Secretary Dan Brouillette.
According to two people familiar with the matter, Lisa E. Gordon Hagerty, Director of the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) and Deputy Secretary of Energy for Nuclear Safety, resigned after Bruyer Special’s office informed her that President Trump had lost confidence in her ability to work.
People familiar with the matter said that some U.S. government officials were disappointed at her being kicked out of the White House and said that she was generally regarded as capable in her field.
According to the report, Hagerty himself and representatives of the National Nuclear Safety Administration and the Department of Energy declined to comment. NNSA’s chief deputy director William Bookless (William Bookless) was appointed as acting director.
The agency said in a statement: “As a supervisor, Hagerty oversaw the modernization of NNSA’s infrastructure and strengthened its world-class staff. She has also made significant progress in improving the management of NNSA.”
Earlier this year, budget disputes between NNSA and Bruyett and other officials came to light. According to people familiar with the matter, Hagerty tried to win Bruyett’s support for the $20 billion budget request for fiscal 2021, but Bruyett and others asked her to sign a letter approving a lower amount. At the same time, it is guaranteed that NNSA’s tasks can still be achieved.
According to the report, NNSA is a semi-autonomous agency of the U.S. Department of Energy, which is responsible for the production and dismantling of nuclear weapons, as well as the cleaning of toxic substances left by the U.S. nuclear bombs. Hagerty was confirmed as the director of this agency in 2018 and was the first woman to hold that position.
In a statement on Friday, the chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee and Oklahoma Republican Senator Jim Inhofe praised Hagerty as a “model civil servant and outstanding leader” of NNSA, while slamming Bruyett. Inhofe said: “During this period of uncertainty, the Minister of Energy asked her to resign. This shows that he does not know what he is doing in national security affairs and does not respect the semi-autonomous nature of NNSA.”
