Gabbard purges Biden holdovers on NIC – Washington Examiner
Tulsi Gabbard, the Director of National Intelligence, has removed two top officials from the National Intelligence council (NIC) due to allegations of politicizing intelligence. The ousted officials,acting NIC Chairman Mike Collins adn his deputy,Maria Langan-Riekhof,confirmed their dismissal late Tuesday night. This decision comes amidst accusations that Collins undermined former President Trump’s agenda and follows the publication of an assessment downplaying the Venezuelan government’s involvement in international gang activities, which contradicts Trump’s immigration stance. The Office of the Director of National Intelligence stated that the NIC will now operate directly within the ODNI to prevent further politicization of intelligence. Gabbard’s team defended the firings,dismissing criticisms from the media and emphasizing the need to uphold factual integrity in intelligence work.
Gabbard purges ‘Biden holdovers’ on National Intelligence Council
Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard removed two top intelligence officials from their posts on Tuesday for allegedly politicizing intelligence.
Officials with the Office of the Director of National Intelligence confirmed to the Washington Examiner that both acting NIC Chairman Mike Collins and his deputy, Maria Langan-Riekhof, were removed from their posts late Tuesday night.
ODNI officials note that whistleblower complaints accused Collins of “deliberately undermining” President Donald Trump’s agenda. Furthermore, the NIC will now be nested directly within ODNI to block the “politicization of intelligence.”
The Washington Examiner was unable to contact Collins and Langan-Riekhof.
NIC is the intelligence group responsible for writing secret assessments of U.S. intelligence for the president. The Washington Post reported Wednesday afternoon that the Collins and Langan-Riekhof firings came weeks after they authored an assessment concluding that the Venezuelan government is likely not directing Tren de Aragua members abroad.
Trump has made the gang a critical focus of his immigration agenda, and he invoked the Alien Enemies Act as a means of expediting the deportation of Tren de Aragua members.
ODNI pushed back on the Washington Post’s reporting on Wednesday, claiming that Collins and Langan-Riekhof were fired for politicizing intelligence assessments.
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“You are genuinely bad at your job but that is likely a prerequisite for WaPo. No one from ODNI told you that, so of course you inject your own politically motivated opinion,” Gabbard’s deputy chief of staff, Alexa Henning, wrote in a statement quoting the Washington Post report. “That’s wrong but who cares about facts, right? These Biden holdovers were dismissed because they politicized intelligence. Also, it shouldn’t be lost on you that the leak of classified info was a NIC product, which is against the law, that is the issue.”
— Alexa Henning (@alexahenning) May 14, 2025
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