Bill Pulte begins carrying out 'deep state firings' in DNI office: report

Bill Pulte, who began serving as acting Director of National Intelligence on Friday, has reportedly begun carrying out cuts to staff within the office. A source familiar with the matter told CNN that the cuts began on Monday, adding, "the deep state firings have begun." 

Ahead of taking office, Pulte was reportedly looking at cutting hundreds of jobs within the Office of the Director of National Intelligence. Sources told CNN that Pulte appeared at the office one day before he was officially set to start and asked for a list of every employee in the office, "catching even outgoing director Tulsi Gabbard off-guard," the outlet reported. Trump had reportedly directed Pulte to fire a "large number" from the office. 

Democrats of the Senate and House Intelligence Committees on Monday sent a letter to Pulte, warning that large cuts to the office would "jeopardize" the office’s mission. 

"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," Sen Mark Warner and Rep Jim Himes wrote. "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 jeopardizing the mission of an organization explicitly created after 9/11 to prevent any future such terrorist attack."

They added, "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. 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." 

A White House official, when asked by CNN about the firings, pointed to President Trump’s post on Truth Social naming Pulte as the acting director. Trump wrote at the time, "I have named William Pulte to be Acting Director of National Intelligence, who will take over on June 19th, and have asked him to execute the immediate and needed downsizing of the office, reverting staff to their home agencies."