Intelligence officials fired: Tulsi Gabbard fires two top intelligence officials while Donald Trump is away in the Middle East; here's what they did wrong

Time of India

15-05-2025

ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
FAQs
The Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard , has fired two senior intelligence officials who worked for more than 25 years. The two people fired were Mike Collins and Maria Langan-Riekhof. Collins was acting chair of the National Intelligence Council , and Langan-Riekhof was his deputy.Gabbard's team said they were removed because they didn't support President Trump. But they didn't give any clear reason or proof. Gabbard's office said she wants to help Trump stop politics from affecting intelligence work.This news was first reported by Fox News Digital. The firings happened just one week after a memo was released that contradicted Trump's claims about Venezuelan immigrants.That memo was written by the National Intelligence Council, the same agency the two officials led. Trump had used the idea that Venezuela's government was linked to the Tren de Aragua gang to justify deporting Venezuelans using the Alien Enemies Act.But the memo, which became public after a records request, said there was no connection between Venezuela's government and the gang. Democrats are concerned about the firings, saying there's no real explanation for them.U.S. Rep. Jim Himes, top Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee, said that unless there's proof, people will think the intelligence community must now support Trump's political goals to keep their jobs. He said the analysis must be truthful and non-political, not just what the president wants to hear.The National Intelligence Council isn't well-known to the public but plays a big role by combining intel from different agencies for the White House and top security officials. Collins was a top expert on East Asia in the intelligence world.Langan-Riekh of used to lead a team at the CIA and knew a lot about the Middle East. Efforts to reach them on Wednesday didn't work. The CIA didn't say anything, calling it a staff issue. Gabbard moved some key intelligence offices from the CIA to ODNI buildings.These offices include the National Intelligence Council and the team that writes the President's Daily Brief. The PDB is a top-secret daily report that gives the president the most important intelligence and security updates.Even though the PDB is officially ODNI's job, the CIA used to play a big role by giving staff and infrastructure to support it. Now, Gabbard wants more direct control over the PDB, so those resources will be moved to ODNI.Gabbard is the top boss of 18 intelligence agencies and is trying to change how the intelligence community works. She ended diversity, equity, and inclusion programs, following Trump's orders.She also started a task force to find ways to cut costs and see if they can declassify info about COVID-19 and other subjects. Gabbard promised to look into leaks and stop intelligence from being used for politics.Q1. Why were the intelligence officials fired The officials were fired because they were against President Trump.Q2. Who is Tulsi Gabbard?She is US top intelligence chief, Director of National Intelligence