00:02President Trump's new acting director of national intelligence is moving quickly to reshape the
00:07agency. Just days after taking over the office of the director of national intelligence,
00:12Bill Pulte has begun firing employees as part of a broader downsizing effort.
00:18Straight Arrow first reported last week that Pulte visited ODNI headquarters before his
00:23official start date to assess the agency's operations and staffing. When announcing the
00:28appointment, Trump said he wanted Pulte to, quote, execute the immediate and needed downsizing of
00:34the office. One source told CNN that the National Counterterrorism Center and the National
00:39Counterintelligence and Security Center are expected to be among the hardest hit. A source familiar with
00:45the process told multiple news outlets that, quote, that deep state firings have begun. Pulte officially
00:51took over Friday despite concerns from lawmakers in both parties about his lack of intelligence
00:57experience. His role may be temporary. Trump has nominated Jay Clayton to lead the agency
01:02permanently, but put that nomination on hold last week during a separate standoff with Congress.
01:08Before joining the intelligence community, Pulte served as director of the Federal Housing Finance
01:13Insurance Agency.
