Acting Director of National Intelligence Bill Bolte fired 6 appointees of former Director Tulsi Gabbard
Acting Director of National Intelligence Bill Bolte has fired six political appointees of former Director Tulsi Gabbard and removed dozens of career intelligence officials from their roles, according to four sources familiar with the moves.Sources told CNN that the 45 career officials were on joint assignment in the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI), meaning they were working for the agency but were technically employed by other intelligence agencies, and had been sent back to their local offices. The National Counterterrorism Center, a component of the Office of the Director of National Intelligence and previously expected to be a prime target for Bolte, was not affected by the cuts, a source familiar with the situation said.
“Today, I spent some time with the National Counterterrorism Center team, which is doing an amazing job protecting our country under President Trump’s leadership,” Bolte said Tuesday evening. “The room was full of true professionals and American patriots. It is an honor to work alongside them.”Another source familiar with the matter said there could be up to two dozen additional dismissals in the coming weeks, but the cuts are unlikely to go beyond that.
This source said that Polte was consulting with professional intelligence officials about the cuts.The dismissals represent the first major step in Bolte’s tenure to make radical cuts to the spy office, which had already been downsized under Gabbard. The Office of the Director of National Intelligence, which serves as policymaker and coordinator of the 18 agencies that make up the U.S. intelligence community, has been a target of some on the MAGA right who believe it consists of a “deep state” bent on undermining the president.Trump appointed Bolte to the acting role with a mandate “to implement the immediate and needed reduction of the office,” the president wrote in a post on Truth Social. “I have appointed William Bolte to be Acting Director of National Intelligence, who will assume office on June 19, and have asked him to implement the immediate and needed reduction of the Office and return staff to their local agencies,” Trump wrote.
The beginning of my aggressive urine
Bolte, who has no national security experience and did not previously hold a security clearance, showed up at the Office of the Director of National Intelligence early a day after requesting a list of the names of every employee in the office so he could evaluate whether to fire them, according to two sources familiar with the matter.
The move caught staff by surprise, including outgoing director Tulsi Gabbard, who received only a brief heads-up about the visit.In his only other briefing with the Office of the Director of National Intelligence before taking office, Bolte asked staff if he could bring the President’s Daily Briefing, a top-secret collection of intelligence on key national security matters, to his home, raising alarm bells among intelligence officials, according to one source. This source also said that Bolte asked about his security clearance level and whether he had access to a government plane.
Reaction from Congress
Senior Democrats on the Senate and House Intelligence Committees warned that mass cuts could threaten US national security. In a letter sent to Polte on Monday, Sen. Mark Warner (D-Va.) and Rep. Jim Himes (D-Conn.) wrote: “We are concerned about reports that you intend to fire or furlough hundreds of Office of the Director of National Intelligence officers as soon as this week.”“Although there is room to consider responsible workforce reductions in the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, any significant reductions would follow the significant reduction that has already occurred in 2025 and risk jeopardizing the mission of an organization clearly established after September 11 to prevent any such terrorist attack in the future,” the lawmakers wrote.“Given your lack of experience within the intelligence community, it is difficult to imagine that in such a short time you have already developed fully informed views about how to reduce the Office of the Director of National Intelligence without incurring risks to national security,” they added. “Making significant structural changes to the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, including a reduction in force, is not an appropriate course of action for anyone in his capacity, let alone without consultation with Congress, and you should refrain from doing so.”However, according to two sources familiar with closed-door discussions with Bolt on Capitol Hill, some of those concerns have been alleviated. “Senators were definitely surprised by Bolte’s selection,” one Senate Republican staffer said. “But since Trump announced it, Bolte has developed a detailed strategic plan to implement Trump’s reform agenda at DNI, and he’s working closely with the (Senate Intelligence Committee), and he’s executing it admirably.
Republican senators were impressed. “Don’t be surprised if he stays for a while.”
What’s next for Bolt?
Sources had previously told CNN that Pulte was looking to cut hundreds of jobs at ODNI. All offices were asked to submit a list of their employee classifications by Monday, according to two sources familiar with the matter. Bolte said on X that he spent time with the National Counterterrorism Center team, calling them “true professionals and American patriots.”
The National Counterterrorism Center was not affected by the cuts.Trump said Bolte would remain director of the Federal Housing Finance Agency while serving as acting director of national intelligence, a move that left many intelligence professionals questioning the arrangement. Trump also said he wants Bolte to investigate allegations of voter fraud in the 2020 election.A source close to Bolte previously told CNN: “This is not something to think about — President Trump wanted someone truly loyal in this position, who will do what he wants him to do. And he’s there in Bill.”