On an unknown date, but after he took office on June 19, Acting Director of National Intelligence Bill Pulte terminated the positions of six career and political intelligence staff, and sent 45 employees to their home agencies. These terminations include Deputy Director of National Intelligence for Mission Integration William Ruger, who was put on administrative leave. The firings were mostly concentrated against the National Counterterrorism Center.
This comes after Pulte floated the terminations as soon as he took office, and after a Trump social media post that called for firings, claiming without elaboration that there were too many employees.
Senator Mark Warner claimed that Pulte was already in the process of wantonly firing hundreds of employees. Warner also claimed that Pulte floated committing the crime of taking the presidential daily brief, which includes some of the most classified information, to a non-secure location, which is illegal. Pulte also wanted a private government jet to travel between Chicago, Florida, and Washington D.C. for unknown reasons.
Pulte has no experience in intelligence, and is firing employees regardless of their own experience and contributions to American intelligence. This leaves the country more vulnerable to terrorist attacks, sabotage, and espionage.
