Pulte’s Exit Gift: Fifth Round of Terminations Leaves ODNI Half the Size It Was
Acting Director of National Intelligence Bill Pulte may not be long for the job — his permanent replacement, U.S. Attorney Jay Clayton, is expected to be confirmed by the Senate as early as Tuesday evening — but he’s certainly leaving his mark. On Sunday, as our Kyle Becker reported, he announced a fourth round of staffing cuts, and now just two days later he’s announcing a fifth.
This one could involve up to 30 percent of the workforce, and he says it might be the “Near Final Round” of terminations.
Good News! In addition to the Historic DECLASSIFICATIONS (Transparency!) by the President, we are, this morning, Executing a 5th and Near Final Round of TERMINATIONS, an approximately 30% Staff Reduction from Weeks Ago. The Intelligence Community must protect the American people,…
— DNI Pulte (@DNIPulte) July 28, 2026
We need people who are actively supporting the president’s agenda, he said, not those who try to undermine it:
Good News! In addition to the Historic DECLASSIFICATIONS (Transparency!) by the President, we are, this morning, Executing a 5th and Near Final Round of TERMINATIONS, an approximately 30% Staff Reduction from Weeks Ago. The Intelligence Community must protect the American people, NOT the political whims of the bloated and corrupt elite class.
The appointment of Pulte, who also serves as Federal Housing Finance Agency Director (FHFA), caused Democrats to get their knickers in a twist, as I reported in June:
On June 2, President Trump appointed Federal Housing Finance Agency Director Bill Pulte as Acting Director of National Intelligence, replacing Tulsi Gabbard, who stepped down following her husband’s diagnosis with a rare bone cancer. He will officially transition to the role on June 19.
That announcement was met with swift resistance from Democrats and even some Republicans who said he was unqualified for the role and had no prior experience. He had also severely hurt the feelings of the Dems by referring Sen. Adam Schiff (D-CA), Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook, and NY Attorney General Letitia James to the Justice Department for mortgage fraud.
MORE: Senate Now Advancing DNI Pick As Critical Spy Powers Stay Dark
More ‘Deep State’ Firings: Acting DNI Continues to Purge Intel Community
Pulte explained his ongoing moves in a Sunday social media post:
Since becoming Acting Director of National Intelligence, our team has been smartly, and carefully, reducing the size of ODNI, re-focusing ODNI on national security, the law, and the statute. As of this evening, we just finished a 4th round of thoughtful, measured layoffs. Thank…
— DNI Pulte (@DNIPulte) July 27, 2026
Since becoming Acting Director of National Intelligence, our team has been smartly, and carefully, reducing the size of ODNI, re-focusing ODNI on national security, the law, and the statute. As of this evening, we just finished a 4th round of thoughtful, measured layoffs. Thank you!
The purge has come at the behest of Trump, who said when appointing Pulte that he wanted him to “execute the immediate and needed downsizing of the office.” It’s unclear how many people have been laid off in total, but the Washington Post reported earlier this month that it’s at least 200 since June (including cuts that Gabbard had made) and that the agency is roughly half the size it was when the president took office in January 2025.
Now, that number has presumably grown larger. If that means a few less DeepStaters trying to kneecap the president’s agenda, then that’s a good thing.
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