More 'Deep State' Firings: Acting DNI Continues to Purge Intel Community

The Trump administration is once again purging “Deep State” officials.

The Acting Director of National Intelligence, Bill Pulte, announced a fourth round of staffing cuts and reshuffling of positions in a statement on X.

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!” he wrote.

The Office of the Director of National Intelligence is the main coordinating body in the Intelligence Community and manages 18 security agencies.

READ MORE: 'The Deep State Firings Have Begun' — Reports Indicate Acting DNI Pulte Carrying Out Mass Terminations

This announcement follows upon Pulte’s earlier three waves of staffing reductions. In late June, CBS News reported that more than 50 intelligence officials were impacted by layoffs and reassignments.

According to CNN, six staffers appointed by former DNI chief Tulsi Gabbard were fired.

Today, I spent time with the National Counterterrorism Center team, who is doing an incredible job protecting our Country under President Trump’s leadership. The room was filled with true professionals and American patriots. It is a privilege to work beside them. 🇺🇸

— DNI Pulte (@DNIPulte) June 24, 2026

Pulte earlier said on X, “Today, I spent time with the National Counterterrorism Center team, who is doing an incredible job protecting our Country under President Trump’s leadership. The room was filled with true professionals and American patriots. It is a privilege to work beside them.”

The ODNI cuts extend back to June 1, approximately one week after Tulsi Gabbard resigned as director, citing health concerns affecting her husband.

"Unfortunately, I must submit my resignation, effective June 30, 2026," Gabbard wrote in her resignation letter, which she posted on X. "My husband, Abraham, has recently been diagnosed with an extremely rare form of bone cancer."

The Washington Post reported that the ODNI had “quietly cut about 200 jobs since June 1.”

The cuts are the latest to hit ODNI, which was created to oversee and coordinate all U.S. spy agencies but has been targeted by President Donald Trump and many Republicans in Congress. They, and some former U.S. intelligence officials, say it has expanded far beyond what lawmakers intended when it was created two decades ago. The ODNI had about 2,000 employees at the start of Trump’s second term. It is now little more than half that size, according to congressional aides.

MS Now reported the Trump administration was axing officials “who they believe are deep state,” based on an intelligence source.

NBC News added that “The deep state firings have begun.” The report gave a bit of insight into one of the departments targeted.

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.

Pulte issued the instruction late Thursday — before he officially took over for outgoing Director Tulsi Gabbard, the source said. He started his new post Friday.

The potential cuts at the counterterrorism center are focused on an office set up after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks to monitor terrorist threats and suspected militants and to pool information from across federal agencies.

While these outlets largely withheld broader context for the layoffs, President Trump has been under immense pressure from the intelligence community since his first presidential campaign in 2016, when a number of FBI and CIA counterintelligence officials peddled the Russia hoax in order to spy on his campaign and undermine his forthcoming administration.

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