Trump Pushes Intel Chief Pulte to Begin Mass Firings
In an interview with The Wall Street Journal, Trump revealed he had privately conveyed to incoming acting director Bill Pulte that he considers the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) to be "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.
When asked directly whether he was urging Pulte to carry out firings, Trump said he wants him to "start the process," adding that whoever is eventually nominated on a permanent basis should press forward with the effort.
Trump's selection of Pulte — currently director of the Federal Housing Finance Agency — caught many of his own advisers off guard earlier this week. The acting appointment bypasses Senate confirmation requirements and carries a legally permitted duration of up to 210 days under federal law.
Trump suggested that Pulte's temporary status was itself a strategic advantage when it came to overhauling the intelligence apparatus.
"You're less shackled," he said. "It sort of gives you more power, you know, for a somewhat limited period of time."
The move signals an intensifying push by the Trump administration to reshape the US intelligence community, following months of friction between the White House and career officials across the national security establishment.
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