President Donald Trump’s acting director of national intelligence has begun firing people at the agency, sources familiar with the matter told ABC News.
Bill Pulte, a Trump loyalist with no intelligence experience, took over the agency late last week and had promised to cut hundreds of jobs at the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) once taking over. It was not immediately clear how many jobs had already been affected, but sources told ABC News that the National Counterterrorism Center was expected to be hit hard.
ODNI did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The White House referred ABC News to ODNI, but pointed to Trump’s social media post earlier this month saying he had asked Pulte to “execute the immediate and needed downsizing of the office.”
The Push for Cuts
Trump has made clear he wants Pulte to slash jobs at the agency. He said earlier this month the size of ODNI has been “way too large for way too long” and told reporters he would not mind if cuts were made. In an interview with The Wall Street Journal, Trump said he wanted Pulte to “start the process” of firing ODNI personnel and cited his role as acting director as “less shackled.”
Monday was just Pulte’s second full day on the job.
Pulte’s Background and Controversy
Pulte is best known in the Trump administration for launching probes into several of the president’s perceived political enemies over allegations of mortgage fraud and possible misuse of authority. Targets of the investigations include Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook, New York Attorney General Letitia James, Democratic Sen. Adam Schiff, and former Democratic Rep. Eric Swalwell. They have all denied wrongdoing.
Trump had previously announced he was nominating U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York Jay Clayton to permanently lead ODNI amid backlash from Democrats and Republicans to Pulte’s appointment as acting director. Trump then abruptly announced last week that the confirmation process for Clayton would not continue until his pick to replace Clayton as U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York, Jamie McDonald, is confirmed.
Pulte’s appointment also led to the lapse of Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, which allows the federal government to collect communications of foreigners abroad without a warrant.
The Bottom Line
President Trump’s acting director of national intelligence, Bill Pulte, has begun firing personnel at the agency, with the National Counterterrorism Center expected to be heavily affected. Trump has pushed for deep cuts at the ODNI. Pulte, who has no intelligence experience, has previously launched investigations into Trump’s political opponents. His appointment also contributed to the lapse of a key surveillance authority.
