In early July 2026, dozens of intelligence officials began receiving termination notices under Bill Pulte, the new acting Director of National Intelligence, about two weeks after he arrived at the office. Intelligence leaders described the targets as officials they consider “deep state” and accused them of not providing complete intelligence, the kind of loyalty rationale that has accompanied purges across the administration.
Pulte, who has no intelligence background, replaced Tulsi Gabbard at the top of the Office of the Director of National Intelligence. Trump has been explicit about what he wants the office used for. The White House intends to declassify thousands of intelligence documents as part of a broader effort to advance Trump's false claims that the 2020 election was stolen, and Trump told reporters he expects Pulte to “find out some things about the rigged elections.”
The purpose collides with the record. The DNI's election-related role is limited to foreign interference, and Gabbard herself spent roughly 18 months trying to substantiate the 2020 fraud claims and found nothing. Firing career analysts while directing the office to relitigate a settled election bends the nation's intelligence apparatus toward a political conspiracy rather than its actual mission (see Trump Names Bill Pulte, a Home-Builder Heir With No Intelligence Background, as Acting Director of National Intelligence and Tulsi Gabbard Resigns as Director of National Intelligence, the Fourth Trump Cabinet Member to Leave in 2026, Ending a Tenure Marked by the Politicization of Intelligence).