The Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) has begun firing employees, according to a source familiar with the matter. This move is part of the large-scale cuts that President Donald Trump’s acting director of national intelligence, Bill Pulte, had been considering.

Background

Pulte, who was appointed by Trump, showed up to his new job a day early and asked for a list of every employee in the office. Sources had previously told CNN that Pulte was looking at cutting hundreds of jobs at the ODNI. The National Counterterrorism Center (NCTC) and the National Counterintelligence and Security Center are expected to be hit hard by the cuts.

Top Democrats on the Senate and House Intelligence Committees sent a letter to Pulte warning him of the risks of making large cuts to the workforce. Sen. Mark Warner and Rep. Jim 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.’

The lawmakers expressed concern that the cuts could jeopardize the mission of the ODNI, which was created after 9/11 to prevent future terrorist attacks. They also questioned Pulte’s lack of experience within the Intelligence Community and his ability to make informed decisions about the agency.

Response from the White House

When asked about the firings, a White House official pointed to Trump’s recent post on Truth Social, in which he mentioned ‘downsizing’ the office. Trump wrote, ‘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.’

Original reporting: El Paso News (HLL/CB) — read the source article.