Washington is making enemies on all fronts and even alienating its own allies. Logically, the United States needs a strong intelligence apparatus right now. But Trump is taking the exact opposite approach. He has dispatched his loyal enforcer, Pulte, to execute a sweeping purge of the intelligence community.
The bloodletting is sending shockwaves through the ranks. It started at the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI). Now it is spreading to the 18 agencies beneath it. The CIA has long harbored deep tensions with Trump and is unlikely to be spared.
Acting DNI Pulte is Trump's ruthless enforcer. Taking office this week, he instantly launched a sweeping intelligence purge to cut down the president's enemies.
Several members of Congress wrote to Pulte to demand an immediate halt. They warned this political purge will erode America's intelligence capabilities. But those warnings fall on deaf ears. Pulte answers to only one master, making a massacre all but certain.
Pulte is wasting no time sharpening his blade. CNN reports that he officially began work on Monday, a full day ahead of schedule. He immediately convened closed-door meetings with lawyers and aides. After securing a complete roster of ODNI employees, he started cutting. The first casualties were the politically appointed loyalists of former Director Gabbard. By Tuesday, multiple staffers were already leaving the office with boxes in their hands. More dismissals are sure to follow.
Gabbard was originally a "Barbie-type" senior official hand-picked by Trump himself. But she fell out of favor after clashing with her boss over the Iran strikes and internal restructuring. She resigned last month citing her husband's illness.
The reality is she was pushed out. Trump swiftly installed Pulte as the acting DNI for a 210-day term. Pulte previously served as the director of the Federal Housing Finance Agency. This diehard loyalist was brought in for nothing but one obvious reason: to serve as the president's personal enforcer and bring about a massive purge.
The ODNI plays a role of enormous consequence in Washington. The agency serves as the president's intelligence adviser and briefs him on the most sensitive classified information. It coordinates all 18 intelligence agencies under its umbrella and oversees a staggering budget of nearly $100 billion.
Yet, Trump has always harbored deep suspicions about this apparatus. Since taking office, he has suspected that holdovers from the previous administration remain embedded within various agencies. He views these officials as fundamentally disloyal. Rooting them out is Pulte's primary mandate.
True to form, Pulte began slashing before his seat was even warm. CNN indicates he will quickly pivot his attention to the National Counterterrorism Center and the National Counterintelligence and Security Center. He ordered those bodies to submit personnel files on Monday. They are already compiling lists of employees earmarked for dismissal.
Trump sees these agencies as riddled with subversives. Recent events have only reinforced his suspicions. The United States launched military action against Iran in mid-March. Shortly after, National Counterterrorism Center Director Kent abruptly announced his resignation. He released an open letter stating he could not support the war against Iran in good conscience. He further alleged that Israel had pressured the president into the conflict.
Such remarks sent Trump into a furious rage. He is now more driven than ever: thorough cleansing of the intelligence community is clearly long overdue.
Trump's distrust of the CIA runs just as deep and stems from long-standing grievances. A group of CIA officers participated in intelligence assessments related to the "Russia collusion" investigation back in 2016. The president brands these individuals as "deep state" operatives actively working against him.
Some of those officials remain at the agency to this day. They are prime targets in this new purge. It is only a matter of time before Pulte sets his sights on Langley.
Trump and the CIA share a bitter history. The agency is now firmly in Pulte's crosshairs.
Make no mistake: Trump is openly embracing accusations of a political purge. He spoke to the Wall Street Journal just two days ago and described the ODNI as bloated and unnecessary. He boldly declared he wants to see the agency get smaller, adding that many people there simply do not belong.
The president expects Pulte to execute this process immediately. He insists that whoever is eventually nominated to the permanent post must carry on the ruthless work. He views a massive "housecleaning" before a new director arrives as a profoundly good thing. Trump argues there are simply too many intelligence personnel, and he openly welcomes deep personnel cuts.
America's military vulnerabilities were already laid bare by its recent campaign against Iran. Now Trump is gutting the very intelligence services the nation depends on to survive. He is effectively severing his own limbs in a desperate drive to excise the "deep state."
At this destructive rate, the United States will inevitably be exposed as nothing more than a paper tiger.
Lai Ting-yiu
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