Trump administration begins mass firings at US intelligence office, CNN reports

WASHINGTON: The Trump administration on Monday started carrying out large-scale dismissals at the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, according to CNN, with the move said to affect potentially hundreds of employees at the top US intelligence agency.

CNN reported that the layoffs were being overseen by acting Director Bill Pulte, who was appointed by President Donald Trump. Pulte’s appointment had drawn controversy in Congress because he does not have an intelligence background. The total number of positions being cut has not been officially disclosed.

A source quoted by CNN said, "The deep state firings have begun."

CNN also reported that Pulte arrived at the office a day earlier than expected last week after requesting a list of all employees, a move that apparently caught outgoing Director Tulsi Gabbard off guard. The National Counterterrorism Centre and the National Counterintelligence and Security Centre are expected to face the heaviest reductions.

Lawmakers warn of security risks

The dismissals went ahead despite objections from senior Democrats on the Senate and House intelligence committees. CNN said Senator Mark Warner and Representative Jim Himes sent a letter to Pulte on Monday warning against major reductions in staff.

In the letter, Warner and Himes wrote, "We are concerned by reports that you intend to fire or place on leave hundreds of Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) officers as soon as this week."

They added, "While there is room to consider responsible reductions to ODNI’s workforce, any large cuts would follow on a substantial downsizing that has already occurred in 2025 and risk jeopardising the mission of an organisation explicitly created after 9/11 to prevent any future such terrorist attack."

The White House, when asked about the firings, referred to a recent social media post by Trump in which he said he had directed Pulte to execute the immediate and needed downsizing of the office, reverting staff to their home agencies.

Counterterrorism centre among units expected to be hit

A separate source told NBC News that Pulte had instructed staff to identify 400 employees at the National Counterterrorism Centre for dismissal in the coming weeks. The unit was established after the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks to track terrorist threats, suspected militants and share intelligence across federal agencies.

According to NBC, former intelligence officials said the staffing cuts could weaken the government’s ability to detect and stop terrorist plots. Warner and Himes raised the same concern in their letter to Pulte.

They wrote, "Given your lack of experience within the Intelligence Community, it is difficult to imagine that in such a short amount of time you have already developed fully informed views as to how to shrink ODNI without incurring risks to national security."

The lawmakers added, "Making significant structural changes to ODNI, to include a reduction in force, is not an appropriate course of action for anyone in an acting capacity, let alone without consultation with Congress, and you should refrain from doing so."