Several staff members have been fired from the US Office of the Director of National Intelligence (DNI), multiple outlets reported on Monday and Tuesday. The firings come less than a week after President Donald Trump appointed Bill Pulte as acting director, following former director Tulsi Gabbard's announcement in late May that she was leaving the post.
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 career and political staff members 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 on the reported firings.
Pulte's Plans and Congressional Concerns
CNN first reported on 19 June, the same day Pulte assumed the role of acting director, that he was considering the dismissal of hundreds of staff members. On Monday, Representative James Himes and Senator Mark Warner, the top Democrats on the House and Senate intelligence committees, respectively, sent a letter to Pulte voicing concerns about making substantive changes to the DNI, including firing hundreds of people, 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 Skepticism
Pulte also faced skepticism from Republican Senator Thom Tillis, who told reporters on Tuesday that Pulte should conduct an analysis at the DNI and “only [eliminate] the people whose jobs can be either automated or never should have been there.” “My guess is based on his past experience, it’s going to be another hot, steaming pile of Doge shit,” Tillis, who is retiring, continued. “I think he’s an incompetent sycophant and not the right person to lead DNI, and you’re undermining ultimately what the confirmed administrator should be doing.”
Previous Reductions Under Gabbard
Last August, former director Gabbard announced a 40% reduction in the DNI’s workforce, and said the firings were due to the office becoming bloated, inefficient, and claimed that the broader intelligence community was “rife with abuse of power, unauthorized leaks of classified intelligence, and politicized weaponization of intelligence.”
