Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard is leading a major effort to clean up intelligence agencies, taking action against officials engaged in workplace misconduct and exposing those who pose a risk to national security. She has ordered the termination of more than 100 employees involved in explicit chats during work hours while also confronting CIA agents accused of threatening to leak classified information.
Speaking on Fox News, Gabbard addressed reports that some CIA officials are considering selling U.S. secrets in response to recent changes under the Trump administration. She accused them of using CNN to spread their grievances, calling the network the agency’s “propaganda arm.” According to Gabbard, the fact that these individuals are openly expressing willingness to betray their country proves they have no business remaining in intelligence roles.
Gabbard said her aggressive approach to cleaning out corruption is already having an impact, with more intelligence insiders stepping forward to expose misconduct. She stated that individuals within the community have been reaching out to her directly, eager to assist in removing those undermining the agencies from within.
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At the same time, Gabbard has taken swift action against intelligence employees who were found using taxpayer-funded systems for explicit chats. The discussions, hosted on an NSA-managed intranet, took place in channels labeled “LBTQA” and “IC_Pride_TWG.” These chatrooms were shut down following Trump’s executive order eliminating diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) policies in federal agencies.
Gabbard announced that all employees who participated in the chats would be identified and terminated. A directive was sent to intelligence agencies instructing them to revoke the security clearances of those involved. Deputy Chief of Staff Alexa Henning confirmed that the deadline for these firings is set for Friday, with all implicated employees being removed from their positions.
The CIA is also in the process of a major restructuring, planning to fire employees linked to DEI initiatives. The agency has confirmed that several DEI-focused groups have already been dismantled. In an effort to further streamline the workforce, a severance package providing eight months of pay and benefits has been offered to employees seeking an exit.
