Trump Intelligence Chief Moves to Fire Hundreds in Sweeping Agency Shake-Up

Bill Pulte, President Donald Trump’s choice to serve as acting Director of National Intelligence, has moved quickly to begin what sources described as a “deep state” purge, with hundreds of positions potentially at risk inside the Office of the Director of National Intelligence. Although Trump had said Pulte’s first day would be Friday, the 38-year-old arrived a day early on Thursday and immediately began meeting with lawyers and staff, according to CNN. Sources told the outlet that Pulte requested a list of every current ODNI employee on his first day, a step reportedly intended to help determine who could be dismissed. “The deep state firings have begun,” one source told CNN. The early arrival also appeared to catch officials off guard, including outgoing director Tulsi Gabbard. Pulte, a loyal Trump appointee, enters the role without prior intelligence experience.

Questions about Pulte’s approach surfaced even before he formally took over. During a briefing with the office last week, he reportedly asked whether he could take home the President’s Daily Brief, the highly classified intelligence document prepared for the president on national security matters, one source told CNN. The same source said Pulte also asked about the scope of his security clearance and whether he would have access to a government plane. Another source described it as “a bit odd” that he repeatedly raised questions about a government-issued aircraft and his schedule. CNN reported that Pulte divides much of his time between Washington, D.C., Florida and Chicago.

Pulte also asked about receiving a protective security detail, according to the first source cited by CNN. His appointment has been met with skepticism from Democrats and some Republicans, who have questioned whether he has the background needed to lead the nation’s intelligence apparatus. Trump emphasized in early June that Pulte’s role would be temporary. “It’s not a permanent position,” the president told reporters in the Oval Office on June 4. “We’re looking at, we’re interviewing people right now, but it’s somebody just to take it over for a little while.”

Asked whether Pulte was the right person to lead the office, Trump praised him personally and suggested he could turn attention to domestic political issues. “He’s very smart. He’s a person who’s got high integrity. He’s done a phenomenal job,” Trump said, adding, “He may find out some things about the rigged elections.” The Director of National Intelligence oversees the 18 agencies that make up the U.S. intelligence community and is responsible for coordinating intelligence priorities, including delivery of the President’s Daily Brief. Critics have warned that placing officials without deep experience in intelligence or global security threats in such positions could create risks for national security.

Trump dismissed those concerns, arguing that intelligence experience is not the only measure of effectiveness and comparing Pulte’s unconventional background to his own rise in politics. “I think he does actually because he’s smart,” Trump said when asked whether Pulte had the national security experience required for the job. “I wasn’t greatly experienced in national security, and I think I’ve done a really great job with it. I ended 8 wars. It could be 10 soon.” Still, Pulte’s arrival at the intelligence office has drawn immediate criticism, with some Republicans privately frustrated by what they see as a chaotic management style and renewed attention on his online history.

Pulte’s previous tenure at the Federal Housing Finance Agency has also faced scrutiny, including over a brief 50-year mortgage proposal that triggered pushback from housing experts and market critics. He has remained closely tied to Trump, frequently traveling on Air Force One and appearing at the president’s resorts and golf courses. His selection for the country’s top intelligence post surprised some Trump allies because of his lack of experience in the field. “The president has so many smart people at the White House, trusted people, that he could be listening to,” a former Trump administration official told Politico. “And he listens to Pulte, who just continually [expletive] things up.”

Amid growing backlash over the appointment, Trump wrote on Truth Social that he had asked Pulte to carry out “the immediate and needed downsizing of the office, reverting staff to their home agencies.” The president also told reporters Pulte would remain in the position only for a “short while.” “We’re interviewing five different people, they’re all very good, very different, and we’ll put somebody there, but people want it downsized,” Trump said. The shift followed a meeting between Trump and House Speaker Mike Johnson in the Oval Office, where Johnson reportedly urged him to consider a different nominee in an effort to reduce Democratic resistance that could complicate renewal of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act.

In the same Truth Social post, Trump said FISA remains important to his administration, the military and public safety, “especially during the World Cup and America250 Celebrations.” He warned that if Congress does not act, “this important Law will expire this week,” and called on lawmakers to send him a short-term extension to allow time for the selection and confirmation of a permanent intelligence chief. Politico previously reported that Trump’s meeting with Johnson “didn’t go very well,” with the president resisting Johnson’s argument that he should move to placate Democrats.

As for Johnson, he told reporters the briefing with the President went well but wouldn’t go into specifics, before criticizing Democrats for holding FISA powers ‘hostage.’ Intelligence officials consider FISA one of their most valuable tools for tracking foreign threats, and warn that a lapse would leave agencies in the dark on terrorist networks, spies and cyber adversaries. Sources tell the Daily Mail that several top advisors vehemently doubted the decision-making, panicking over Pulte’s absolute lack of intelligence or national security credentials. Before his FHFA nomination, Pulte had achieved online fame as a meme-stock influencer and video resurfaced showing the appointee receiving a [expletive]-shaped award at an investing event in Florida in 2023.

He has also been one of Trump’s most loyal senior officials during the President’s second term. A defiant Trump fought back aggressively against the internal dissent, only softening his stance now. Gabbard announced in May that she would be resigning from Trump’s cabinet due to her husband’s rare bone cancer. Trump elevated Pulte, a longtime aide and current director of the Federal Housing Finance Agency, as her replacement. The President, however, does not plan to formally nominate Pulte, who will instead serve on an acting basis.

Installing him temporarily lets the White House sidestep congressional scrutiny, since an acting appointment does not require Senate confirmation. ‘You’re less shackled,’ Trump said when discussing Pulte’s status. ‘It sort of gives you more power, you know, for a somewhat limited period of time.’ Trump added that he plans for Pulte to purge the intelligence community of holdovers from the Obama and Biden administrations. The President told Pulte that the 18 agencies that he now oversees are ‘unnecessary and/or too big.’ Trump told the Wall Street Journal: ‘I’d like to see it smaller. I think there are a lot of people in there that shouldn’t be there.’ The Daily Mail reached out to The White House for comment.