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Bill Pulte has begun dismissing officials at the Office of the Director of National Intelligence shortly after starting as acting director, according to a CNN source cited in the report.
By yourNEWS Media Newsroom
Bill Pulte has begun firing officials at the Office of the Director of National Intelligence just days after stepping into the acting director role, according to a report citing a source who described the dismissals as the start of long-anticipated personnel changes inside the intelligence community.
“The Deep State firings have begun,” a source told CNN.
The number of officials fired was not immediately clear.
Pulte, who had been serving as a federal housing regulator, reportedly arrived at work a day early last Thursday and requested a list of all employees as he considered personnel decisions. According to CNN, Pulte met with lawyers Thursday evening before formally beginning his job as acting director of national intelligence Friday.
The firings come after earlier reports that President Donald Trump wanted to reduce the size of federal intelligence agencies. A social media post also highlighted the reported shakeup.
Earlier this month, Trump announced the nomination of Jay Clayton, U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York, to serve as director of national intelligence.
Clayton’s confirmation has been postponed while senators consider Trump’s nominee to replace him as U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York. The delay leaves Pulte in place as acting DNI while the personnel changes proceed.
The timing allows Pulte to carry out firings before a permanent director is confirmed, according to the report.
The moves mark an early test of Pulte’s interim leadership at ODNI and signal that the Trump administration’s push to reshape the federal intelligence apparatus is moving into a new phase.
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