More than 50 career and political staff members have been fired from the US Office of the Director of National Intelligence (DNI), multiple outlets reported. The dismissals come less than a week after President Donald Trump appointed Bill Pulte as acting director, following former director Tulsi Gabbard's departure in late May.
Details of the Firings
According to CNN, which first reported the firings on Monday, political appointees with ties to Gabbard were among those purged. ABC News reported that cuts to the National Terrorism Center were expected to be particularly large. CBS reported on Tuesday that more than 50 staff had been dismissed, with six individuals fired and 45 “sent back to their home agencies”. The DNI has not responded to a request for comment.
Political Reactions
On Monday, Representative James Himes and Senator Mark Warner, the top Democrats on the House and Senate intelligence committees, sent a letter to Pulte expressing concerns about making substantive changes without consulting Congress. “Any large cuts would follow on a substantial downsizing that has already occurred in 2025 and risk jeopardizing the mission of an organization explicitly created after 9/11 to prevent any future such terrorist attack,” the letter reads.
Republican Senator Thom Tillis also criticized Pulte, telling reporters on Tuesday that Pulte should conduct an analysis and “only [eliminate] the people whose jobs can be either automated or never should have been there”. Tillis added: “My guess is based on his past experience, it’s going to be another hot, steaming pile of Doge shit. I think he’s an incompetent sycophant and not the right person to lead DNI.”
Background
CNN first reported on 19 June that Pulte, who also leads the Federal Housing Finance Agency, was considering dismissing hundreds of staff on the same day he assumed the acting director role. In August, former director Gabbard announced a 40% reduction in the DNI’s workforce, citing the office becoming bloated and inefficient, and claiming the intelligence community was “rife with abuse of power, unauthorized leaks, and politicized weaponization”.
