Trump-Appointed Acting Intelligence Director Launches Reckless Purge at ODNI
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Acting Director Bill Pulte, lacking intelligence experience and installed by President Trump, has initiated sweeping layoffs at the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, targeting hundreds of positions at the National Counterterrorism Center. This move, condemned by congressional Democrats, threatens national security and undermines decades of progress in intelligence coordination.
Acting Director of National Intelligence Bill Pulte, a Trump appointee with no background in national security, has begun a dangerous campaign to gut the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI), according to sources familiar with the process. Following President Trump’s directive to shrink the office and send staff back to their original agencies, Pulte ordered the identification of about 400 employees at the National Counterterrorism Center for termination in the coming weeks. The center, established after the September 11 attacks to ensure coordinated threat monitoring, now faces a devastating blow to its ability to detect and prevent attacks—a move former intelligence officials warn will leave the country more vulnerable.
Democratic leaders on the congressional intelligence committees, Rep. Jim Himes and Sen. Mark Warner, have strongly criticized the planned firings, demanding that Pulte halt these reckless changes and consult Congress before dismantling critical national security infrastructure. They highlighted that ODNI had already suffered substantial staff cuts in 2025, as part of a broader, ideologically driven federal workforce reduction that forced out 256,000 public servants, or 11% of the workforce. An August report revealed that over 500 positions had already been eliminated under former director Tulsi Gabbard, with the agency aiming for a draconian 50% reduction.
Pulte’s appointment has drawn bipartisan concern, but it is especially alarming to those who value expertise and stability in intelligence leadership. President Trump’s intention to keep Pulte only as an acting director, and his mention of Jay Clayton as a possible permanent replacement, underscores the administration’s disregard for the critical importance of experienced, nonpartisan leadership in safeguarding national security.