{"id":2611138,"date":"2026-06-05T15:19:02","date_gmt":"2026-06-05T19:19:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/trump-teases-cuts-at-odni-under-pulte\/"},"modified":"2026-06-05T15:20:16","modified_gmt":"2026-06-05T19:20:16","slug":"trump-teases-cuts-at-odni-under-pulte","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/trump-teases-cuts-at-odni-under-pulte\/","title":{"rendered":"Trump teases cuts at ODNI under Pulte"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"float:left\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">14<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Ftrump-teases-cuts-at-odni-under-pulte%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2611138&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>President Donald Trump said he would welcome incoming acting Director of National Intelligence Bill Pulte cutting the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/cnn-finally-discovers-china-uses-u-s-media-to-attack-the-united-states\/\" title=\"CNN Finally Discovers China Uses U.S. Media To Attack The United States\">intelligence community\u2019<\/a>s workforce, arguing it has been too large for too long. Trump added that he has several candidates under consideration for outgoing DNI Tulsi Gabbard\u2019s permanent replacement.<\/p>\n<p>Trump also linked his desire to shrink ODNI to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/psaki-spins-deputy-press-secy-resignation-fallout\/\" title=\"Psaki spins deputy press secy. resignation fallout\">earlier remarks<\/a> that he asked officials to begin firing many employees, saying he\u2019d like the agency \u201csmaller\u201d and that some staff may not be needed. Gabbard, who leaves at the end of June, has already reduced ODNI\u2019s workforce by about 30%.<\/p>\n<p>Despite Trump\u2019s reassurances that Pulte will do a \u201cgood job\u201d and that ODNI\u2019s size will be closely monitored, lawmakers\u2019 concerns remain that the role could become politicized. Critics point to allegations that Pulte previously used access to mortgage applications to refer politicians and others to the Justice Department, and Republicans have long argued ODNI is duplicative and a post-9\/11 misstep. Some sources suggest a key priority for Pulte may be tackling leaks and streamlining ODNI while <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\" >preserving intelligence coordination<\/a> across agencies.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<article class=\"fn-body\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">President <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/donald-trump\/\" type=\"post_tag\" id=\"4\">Donald Trump <\/a>would welcome incoming acting Director of National Intelligence <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/bill-pulte\/\" type=\"post_tag\" id=\"22738\">Bill Pulte\u2019s<\/a> cutting the intelligence community\u2019s workforce.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cI wouldn\u2019t mind if he cut,\u201d Trump told reporters on Air Force One on Friday. \u201cIt\u2019s been high for way too long.\u201d<\/p>\n<section class=\"explore-more-section\" id=\"wex-recommended-widget\">\n<div class=\"magazine-container single\">\n<h1 class=\"magazine-title mt-2\">Recommended Stories<\/h1>\n<p>             <i class=\"fa-solid fa-play icon\"><\/i>         <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-grid\">\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/white-house\/4596752\/trump-strong-jobs-report-boost-stocks-despite-market-slide\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>Trump says strong jobs report should boost stocks despite market slide<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/world\/4596560\/macron-plans-rare-dinner-trump-versailles-g7-visit\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>Macron plans rare dinner for Trump at Palace of Versailles during G7 visit: Report<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/white-house\/4596501\/kennedy-center-commit-recognize-trump-removing-name\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>Kennedy Center still committed to recognizing Trump while adhering to order to remove his name<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The president reiterated that Pulte would \u201cdo a good job\u201d and that the new spy chief would watch the size of the workforce \u201cclosely.\u201d<\/p>\n<div class=\"article-paywall\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Trump also said he has \u201cfive interviews\u201d for outgoing DNI <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/tulsi-gabbard\/\" type=\"post_tag\" id=\"1024\">Tulsi Gabbard\u2019s<\/a> permanent replacement.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cFive different people, all very good, all people that you know very well, all people that do that kind of thing, and they\u2019re very respected people,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Trump told the <em>Wall Street Journal <\/em>earlier Friday that he had asked his\u00a0Federal Housing\u00a0Finance\u00a0Agency director and chairman of\u00a0Fannie Mae\u00a0and\u00a0Freddie Mac\u00a0to \u201cstart the process\u201d of firing a large number of employees at the Office of the Director of National Intelligence.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cI\u2019d like to see it smaller,\u201d he told the outlet. \u201cI think there are a lot of people in there that shouldn\u2019t be there.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">During her tenure, Gabbard, who leaves at the end of June, has already reduced ODNI\u2019s workforce of 1,800 people by 30%.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Trump\u2019s comments will do little to placate concerns from lawmakers on Capitol Hill that the president and Pulte are poised to politicize the position of DNI after Pulte, the grandson of a real estate mogul, used his access to mortgage applications to criminally refer Sen. <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/adam-schiff\/\" type=\"post_tag\" id=\"130\">Adam Schiff<\/a> (D-CA), New York Attorney General <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/letitia-james\/\" type=\"post_tag\" id=\"8955\">Letitia James<\/a> (D), and Federal Reserve\u00a0governor <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/lisa-cook\/\">Lisa\u00a0Cook<\/a> to the Justice Department over allegations of mortgage fraud.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">At the same time, Republicans have long criticized the DNI\u2019s office as a boondoggle.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThe whole thing was a post-9\/11 mistake,\u201d one former Trump administration official told the <em>Washington Examiner<\/em>. \u201cIt was supposed to be very small and elite, and now has 1,800 employees who just duplicate what other agencies do.\u201d <\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/white-house\/4592163\/bill-pulte-attack-dog-charm-offensive-trump\/\"><strong>HOW BILL PULTE TURNED BEING AN ATTACK DOG INTO A CHARM OFFENSIVE WITH TRUMP<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Another Trump alumnus pointed to how \u201ca large number of leaks over the past few months have come out of ODNI.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThere needs to be an internal hunt for leakers from the top,\u201d the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/cdc-to-release-revised-guidance-reducing-covid-19-quarantine-time-from-14-days-to-7-10\/\" title=\"CDC to release revised guidance reducing COVID-19 quarantine time from 14 days to 7-10\">source told<\/a> the <em>Washington Examiner<\/em>. \u201cIf the mandate to\u00a0Pulte\u00a0is plug the leaks and scale back ODNI while maintaining the fusion of intelligence across agencies,\u00a0Pulte\u00a0might do just fine.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Trump says he\u2019d welcome Bill Pulte cutting DNI staff<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2652,"featured_media":2611139,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/AP26155749201674.jpg?w=696","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[38037,4786,42563,61596,3634],"class_list":["post-2611138","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","tag-budget-cuts","tag-intelligence","tag-odni","tag-pulte","tag-trump"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/AP26155749201674.jpg?w=696","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2611138","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2652"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2611138"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2611138\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2611142,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2611138\/revisions\/2611142"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2611139"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2611138"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2611138"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2611138"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}