Bill Pulte has replaced Tulsi Gabbard as acting director of national intelligence, and multiple reports say he has already started a large staff purge that could reach into the hundreds.
Rumors swirled for days that a shakeup would follow Tulsi Gabbard’s departure, and now it’s playing out in real time. Bill Pulte is the new acting DNI, and early signals point toward an aggressive downsizing of the office. This is not a paper shuffle; insiders are talking about major personnel moves across the intelligence community.
Initial reporting indicates that Pulte has directed immediate cuts and reassignments, with talk of hundreds of positions being targeted. The intelligence shop hasn’t been quiet about the scope, and the figure of 400 employees being identified for removal from the National Counterterrorism Center has been mentioned. That kind of reduction will ripple through policy, operations, and agency budgets.
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President Donald Trump’s new acting director of national intelligence, Bill Pulte, began purging staff members at the office Monday, a source familiar with the matter confirmed to NBC News.
“The deep state firings have begun,” the source said.
CNN was first to report that the dismissals were underway.
The Office of the Director of National Intelligence did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Trump named Pulte the acting director this month and said on Truth Social that he had “asked him to execute the immediate and needed downsizing of the office, reverting staff to their home agencies.” Pulte, who has no background in national security matters, has been serving as head of the Federal Housing Finance Agency.
A separate source with knowledge of the matter told NBC News over the weekend that Pulte had ordered staff members to identify 400 employees to be fired from the National Counterterrorism Center, which is part of the U.S. intelligence community, in the coming weeks.
The phrase in that report, “The deep state firings have begun,” landed hard with many who believe the intelligence bureaucracy grew insulated and unaccountable. From a Republican perspective, trimming an oversized, politicized workforce is a necessary correction. The debate will be fierce because careers and operations are at stake.
Pulte’s background is already part of the wider conversation: he comes from the Federal Housing Finance Agency and does not have a resume steeped in national security. Critics will say that makes him unqualified to touch sensitive intelligence-work staffing. Supporters will argue that an outsider perspective is exactly what’s needed to break entrenched patterns.
Officials who survive reassignment may find themselves back at their “home agencies,” while others face termination. Reverting staff can be messy, with overlapping authorities and classified-program complications to navigate. Expect legal challenges, internal appeals, and a scramble to keep critical missions uninterrupted.
The National Counterterrorism Center is central to U.S. counterterror operations, and carving out 400 roles from that unit will demand careful triage. Intelligence output can’t simply be turned down without consequences for field partners and allied operations. The Pulte team will have to balance political directives with operational reality.
Watch for an immediate push to audit roles, funding lines, and interagency agreements that have ballooned in recent years. Republicans pushing for accountability will cheer an audit that exposes redundancy and waste. The intelligence community will push back hard, arguing that secrecy and continuity are essential.
Even modest reassignments can disrupt long-term projects and data sharing protocols, and that’s where the real work begins. Teams responsible for analysis, collection, and international coordination will need contingency plans. Any misstep could be seized on by opponents as proof of chaos or incompetence.
On the politics front, this is a high-stakes gamble for the administration and for Pulte personally. If the purge is managed cleanly and legally, it will be framed as decisive leadership. If it becomes a blunder that harms national security or violates civil-service protections, it will fuel headlines and court battles.
There’s a broader narrative here for conservatives: trimming what they see as a politicized, out-of-control civil service is a long-term goal. That makes this first round of actions symbolic as well as practical. Lawmakers and commentators on the right will amplify successes and defend bold moves.
Inside the agencies, morale will be brittle as people wait to learn whether their jobs survive or vanish. Even those reassigned face uncertainty about future roles and reputations. Management will need to move fast to explain decisions and to preserve mission continuity where necessary.
Legal teams inside and outside government are already preparing for challenges, and unions may attempt to block rapid firings. Expect litigation and labor disputes to play out alongside the personnel shifts. Court rulings could shape how far an acting director can go without formal congressional approvals.
For now, the names, timelines, and final headcounts remain in flux while the purge proceeds. Media attention will amplify every step and every misstep, turning routine personnel choices into sustained political theater. That scrutiny will shape both the pace and the outcome of the downsizing.
One line that captures the mood in some circles is blunt and unapologetic: Happy traitor hunting, Director Pulte. Whether you see that as a rallying cry or an ugly provocation depends on your politics. Either way, the next few weeks will tell whether this reshaping of intelligence staffing is methodical reform or raw political purge.
Expect congressional oversight, op-eds, and hearings to follow as the story develops. The intelligence community has weathered leadership changes before, but this episode feels different in tone and intent. Stakes are high, and the consequences will become clearer as names and functions are disclosed.
