WASHINGTON — President Trump said Friday that he wants incoming acting director of national intelligence Bill Pulte to “start the process” of shrinking the agency’s workforce — building on outgoing director Tulsi Gabbard’s more than 40% headcount cut.
“I’d like to see it smaller. I think there are a lot of people in there that shouldn’t be there,” Trump told the Wall Street Journal.
Pulte, the director of the Federal Housing Finance Agency, will be “less shackled” because he will only serve as spy chief for a matter of months, the president added.
President Trump defended Bill Pulte, his pick to replace Tulsi Gabbard as director of national intelligence. REUTERS“It sort of gives you more power, you know, for a somewhat limited period of time,” Trump said of Pulte, who will take the reins after Gabbard departs June 30.
“Frankly, it might be good for him to shake it up before people come. Because, if he reduced the size, in conjunction with me … and in conjunction with possibly the person coming in [after him] … he can do a lot of the hard work and we wouldn’t have to saddle somebody that goes in.”
Gabbard announced plans in August to shrink the workforce at the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) from 1,800 to 1,300.
She called the plan, due to take effect by Sept. 30 of last year, “ODNI 2.0.”
“ODNI has become bloated, radically expanded in size, and distracted by tasks and requirements that fall outside its mandate,” Gabbard’s office said at the time. “ODNI and the IC are plagued with unauthorized intelligence leaks, politicization, and weaponization of intelligence.”
Bill Pulte was named the acting director of national intelligence. AP Photo/Mark SchiefelbeinAn ODNI official told The Post on Friday that Gabbard ultimately slashed her agency’s staff by nearly 50%, saving close to $1 billion in annual costs.
“We look forward to working with Mr. Pulte and President Trump to continue that work and advance further initiatives aimed at rooting out deep state bad actors and securing saving for the American taxpayer,” that official said.
“Since DNI Gabbard’s first day, she said she was willing to be the last Director of National Intelligence if it was determined that ODNI was unnecessary,” the person added.
The ODNI was established after the 9/11 attacks to coordinate intelligence-sharing and communication among various spy agencies, including the CIA and the National Security Agency.
The role’s profile waned recently, with Trump leaning heavily on CIA Director John Ratcliffe during the Iran war, while Gabbard focused on other matters, including investigating Trump’s claims of fraud in the 2020 election.
The president told reporters Thursday in the Oval Office that he expects Pulte to continue to look into alleged election fraud.
“I’d like to see it smaller. I think there are a lot of people in there that shouldn’t be there,” Trump told the Wall Street Journal in an interview. Getty Images“He may find out some things about the rigged election,” Trump said, while also defending his unconventional pick.
“Look, I wasn’t greatly experienced in national security, and I think I’ve done a really great job with it. A lot of people would say that.”
Trump told the Journal that he’s interested in having Pulte release “everything” the intelligence community possesses regarding the 2020 election.
“I would say everything. He should look at everything and make a determination,” Trump said.
