On June 22, the large-scale layoffs planned by William Pulte, acting director of US National Intelligence, have begun.
elchi reports that CNN has informed about this, citing sources.
It is expected that the most severe cuts will affect the National Counterterrorism Center and the National Counterintelligence and Security Center. Mr. Pulte plans to eliminate hundreds of positions in the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI), which coordinates the work of all US intelligence services.
Leading Democrats on the Senate and House intelligence committees, Mark Warner and Jim Himes, have warned that such steps pose a direct threat to national security. They recalled that the acting director has no work experience in the intelligence field and that radical personnel changes should not be implemented without consultations with Congress.
As CNN noted, the White House responded by citing Donald Trump’s statement regarding the mandatory “optimization” of the agency.
William Pulte replaced Tulsi Gabbard in this post on June 2, and Gabbard’s resignation will take effect on June 30. The official reason for Ms. Gabbard’s resignation was cited as her spouse’s serious illness. However, observers in Washington believe that a crisis in her relationship with the White House may also be a cause.
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