Bill Pulte begins firing dozens of intelligence officials

Dozens of intelligence officials began receiving notice of their terminations on Thursday under Bill Pulte, the new acting director of national intelligence.

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An intelligence official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity due to potential reprisal, told MS NOW that the individuals being removed by the Trump administration are officials “who they believe are deep state.” Intelligence leadership alleges that the fired workers have not provided complete pictures of available intelligence, the official said.

The moves come after Pulte’s elimination last month of six political appointees who served under Tulsi Gabbard, the previous director of national intelligence.

Three former senior intelligence officials told MS NOW that they had never heard of intelligence officials withholding information from officials above them.

“The premise is absurd,” one of the former officials said.

Another of the former officials questioned how Pulte, who has no experience working in intelligence, would be able to make such a determination so quickly.

“I have a real question of how he would know this. This isn’t a guy who is familiar with intelligence,” said the former official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, citing concerns about retaliation. “How is he going to get to the bottom of this and rely on any information with a matter of fidelity? It would be like me taking over a hospital and firing dozens of surgeons in a matter of days.”