Posted on 06/05/2026 11:23:53 AM PDT by Red Badger
Acting DNI Bill Pulte is preparing to fire a "large number" of Deep State Intel Community members.
According to The Wall Street Journal, President Trump has urged Bill Pulte to "start the process" of firing intel officials.
President Trump said he wants to reduce the size of the federal intel agencies.
The Wall Street Journal reported:
President Trump said he wants Bill Pulte, his incoming acting director of national intelligence, to begin the process of firing a large number of employees as part of a shake-up of the U.S. intelligence community.
In an interview with The Wall Street Journal on Friday, Trump said he has privately told Pulte that he believes the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, or ODNI, which oversees 18 federal intelligence agencies and units, is “unnecessary and/or too big.”
“I’d like to see it smaller. I think there are a lot of people in there that shouldn’t be there,” Trump said, pointing to holdovers from the Biden and Obama administrations. Asked whether he is calling on Pulte to fire people, Trump said he wants him to “start the process,” adding that his eventual nominee to serve in the role permanently should continue that work.
Trump stunned many of his own advisers when he said earlier this week that he was appointing Pulte, the director of the Federal Housing Finance Agency, as his intelligence chief. The move was met with skepticism from some Republicans on Capitol Hill, who raised concerns about Pulte’s lack of national-security experience.
President Trump this week announced he appointed Pulte to serve as the Acting Director of National Intelligence.
Bill Pulte is currently the director of the Federal Housing Finance Agency and the chairman of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.
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It’s not a good idea to give advance notice of termination to people that know secrets.
Redundancy is useful for unearthing leakers.
GOOD
So much of Fed.gov, PARTICULARLY anything having to do with budget / spending, lawfare (DOJ), and political information (corrupted Intel) - is full of protected, untouchable, political sinecures.
These people must be given the fear of God in so many ways.
Perhaps they can be repatriated to their sponsoring nations.
It’s a good idea if the traps are set to catch the rats.
President Trump is a genius with head fakes though, so there is probably a reason he is announcing this ahead of time. Maybe wants to flush out the traitors.
Biden people can given the task of identifying civilian sites like Iranian schools and Chinese embassies.
The demand for intelligence reform – something Republicans, Democrats and intelligence practitioners largely agree is overdue – is driven by the perception that the current structure, established over the past two decades and influenced by post-9/11 needs, is not equipped to effectively address the rapidly evolving threats of today, particularly from nation-state adversaries and in the cyber domain. This is compounded by internal bureaucratic challenges (such as requiring that approved National Intelligence Program funds be directed to priority areas) and resource challenges (such as managing personnel within multi-agency mission centers).
Critics of this current structure argue that it has slowed the intelligence community’s pivot from a post‑9/11 counter‑terrorism focus to one on today’s challenges, including competition with China and Russia and the cyber threat facing the US and its allies. In truth, the swing of resources towards China has continued to build momentum since the early 2020s. For example, William Burns, CIA director under US president Joe Biden, committed substantial resources towards China-related intelligence collection, operations and analysis around the world. But the challenge remains of who is driving the intelligence community to fill important gaps (such as on Chinese technology and business-related issues like supply chains).
Project 2025 calls for an update to Executive Order (EO) 12333, the policy directive governing the intelligence community, which was last amended under president George W. Bush in 2008. Such an update would include transferring more centralized power to the director of national intelligence (DNI) including provisions for the changing landscape of threats faced by the US, and improving the functional aspects of the United States’ intelligence enterprise. For an administration that is keen to centralize power and reshape the intelligence framework without needing consensus from congressional bodies, revising EO 12333 presents a significant opportunity. Politically, it allows Trump to refocus efforts and resources without triggering prolonged public or legislative debate. The last time EO 12333 was amended, consultation with congressional bodies took 16 months. Trump could therefore favor speedier change and update the EO without congressional input. The President is responsible for all Intelligence Community oversight that falls within the executive branch. Congress monitors and regulates intelligence programs and authorizes and appropriates funds but has no say in the operations of it’s daily work. So they aren’t even a watchdog but a political traffic cop toward funds with the ability to stop programs outside their level on need. The hamstrings the operation.
wy69
Burn’em all...
.
Deep State is a Cancer.
.
If its anything like the series “Homeland”, yea they could prune 50%.
Looked like mostly infighting and power grabs.
How does a guy who knows house building know how to do this?
Yes reform is needed, but we also need people with experience and knowledge to keep terrorists away .
“These people must be given the fear of God in so many ways.”
Management should be nice and friendly until the time when the undesirable is to be walked out the door.
Anybody see a pattern here? He’s ‘acting’ DNI chief just like Blanche is acting atty. general. No Blanche is being named permanent. They can have angry confirmation hearings strung out but he’s got the job in the meantime. Nothing they can do. If anything Trump is pushing the buttons of the democrats, inviting a negative reaction that buys them nothing. So this acting DNI chief runs Housing Fanny May and Freddy Mac. What do they have to do with intelligence? Marco’s wearing several hats and the democrats can’t tell them how to do their job. I’d be mad too if it wasn’t so funny.
Adverse ruling from a Federal District Judge in three... two... one.
Don’t forget the La. Governor running Greenland-2 paychecks?
So that’s why so many in Congress don’t like him.
Whats an “Intel community member”?
Sounds like an ethnic gang.
I thought they were government employees, nothing more.
Do they have some special secret stamp on their foreheads that makes them part of this really important tribe?
Or are they just covered by civil service and can be fired for cause...like conspiracy to use government assets to further their own political views. Or careers...which is the same thing.
That's true, however, in this case the clean-up crew has already identified the leakers and are watching closely who they might communicate with next.
Trump and Pulte are not selecting those for termination, that has been and is being done by the crew of experienced, loyal, active and retired professionals.
Trump's announcement is just to remind everyone he is the one who promised for the first time to clean the swamp, and shows he is doing so.
Pulte is in place because he has no particular bias or long standing-loyalties with regard to the selected individuals.
Just my opinion.
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