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Acting DNI Pulte fired six political appointees and removed dozens of career intelligence officers in first ODNI purge round

On June 23, 2026, acting Director of National Intelligence Bill Pulte carried out the first round of removals under his ODNI purge: six political appointees installed by former Director Tulsi Gabbard were fired, and roughly 45 career intelligence officers on joint-duty assignment were stripped of their details and sent back to their home agencies, with additional career officials removed from their positions, according to CNN and CBS News. The cuts followed Pulte's June 22 directive ordering ODNI offices to submit ranked lists of personnel for removal.

Part of: Acting DNI Pulte's ODNI Staff Purge

Jurisdiction
Federal
Location
Washington, DC

Abuses documented

Actors

On June 23, 2026, acting DNI Bill Pulte carried out the first removals under the ODNI purge he had ordered the day before: six political appointees installed by former Director Tulsi Gabbard were fired, and roughly 45 career intelligence officers on joint-duty assignment at ODNI were stripped of their details and sent back to their home agencies, with dozens of additional career officials removed from their positions, according to CNN and CBS News.

Sen. Mark Warner and Rep. Jim Himes, the top Intelligence Committee Democrats, said the cuts drew bipartisan alarm on the committees. The removals were the first of what became a recurring series of ODNI staff-reduction rounds under Pulte, who assumed the acting DNI role June 19 following Tulsi Gabbard's departure and had been directed by President Trump on June 5 to reduce the size of the intelligence community.

Why we recorded this

A day after directing ODNI offices to rank personnel for cuts, acting DNI Bill Pulte carried out the first removals — firing six political appointees and stripping roughly 45 career intelligence officers of their joint-duty details. It is recorded as its own event, distinct from the June 22 directive to rank personnel, because it is the first concrete execution of the purge and the opening round in what became a recurring pattern of ODNI staff reductions under Pulte.

Sources

  1. Trump's acting chief of national intelligence fires 6 political appointees, removes dozens of career officials, sources say — CNN primary accessed July 5, 2026
  2. ODNI under Pulte fires 6 staff, sends 45 back to home agencies — CBS News primary accessed July 5, 2026

See also