Tulsi Gabbard Fires Top Intel Officials in Sweeping Deep State Purge
DNI Restructures Intelligence Council, Targets Leakers and Anti-Trump Operatives
Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard is making waves in Washington after executing a bold and unprecedented crackdown on internal resistance to the Trump administration. In her most decisive move yet, Gabbard on Tuesday fired the top two officials at the National Intelligence Council (NIC) following whistleblower allegations of deep anti-Trump bias and potential politicization of classified information.
According to Fox News, Acting NIC Chair Mike Collins and Deputy Chair Maria Langan-Riekhof were both dismissed after internal reviews revealed a troubling pattern of conduct. DNI officials stated that Collins, a career intelligence official with close ties to former CIA Deputy Director Michael Morrell, was at the center of multiple whistleblower complaints alleging he actively undermined Trump administration directives.
“He should never have been in that position,” one senior Trump official told Fox. “His loyalty wasn’t to the intelligence mission—it was to the Obama-era intelligence apparatus.”
Ties to the Infamous “Spies Who Lie” Letter
Collins’ dismissal is particularly explosive given his ties to Michael Morrell, the architect behind the now-infamous 2020 letter signed by 51 former intelligence officials falsely claiming that Hunter Biden’s laptop bore “the classic earmarks of a Russian information operation.”
That letter, which was later proven to be part of a coordinated effort to shield Joe Biden during a crucial presidential debate, is now viewed by many as a turning point in the weaponization of intelligence for political purposes.
DEI Advocate Removed for Bias
Maria Langan-Riekhof, Collins’ deputy, was also shown the door. Internal sources say she was a “key advocate” for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) programs inside the intelligence community—initiatives which many inside the Trump administration view as ideological cover for hiring based on political compliance rather than merit.
“The DEI agenda was used to hide institutional bias against conservative viewpoints,” a senior ODNI official stated. “We’re cleaning house.”
Structural Overhaul: NIC Moves Out of the CIA
In a major bureaucratic shift, Gabbard is also relocating the National Intelligence Council out of the CIA and into the Office of the Director of National Intelligence. This move is intended to bring the NIC under direct oversight, eliminating a layer of institutional protection for rogue actors embedded within the intelligence structure.
“We will directly hold accountable any improper action or politicization of intelligence,” Gabbard told Fox News.
Criminal Referrals and Leak Probes Escalate
The firings follow Gabbard’s earlier referral of three intelligence officials to the Justice Department for criminal prosecution over illegal leaks to The New York Times and The Washington Post. Those individuals are accused of disclosing classified materials in an attempt to damage Trump administration policies.
Gabbard said the actions were part of a broader initiative to restore integrity and security to the intelligence community:
“Politicization of our intelligence and leaking classified information puts our nation’s security at risk and must end. Those who leak will be found and held accountable.”
An ODNI spokesperson confirmed that “aggressive investigations” into additional leaks are currently ongoing.
DHS and Pentagon Join the Crackdown
The crackdown is not isolated to the intelligence community. DHS Secretary Kristi Noem recently announced that two leakers within Homeland Security have been identified and now face up to 10 years in prison for their roles in feeding sensitive information to hostile media outlets.
Meanwhile, three aides to Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth were also fired this month for leaking operational details to corporate media. Two of those individuals have threatened to sue for “wrongful termination,” but insiders say those lawsuits are unlikely to succeed given the classified nature of their violations.
A New Era of Accountability
The Trump administration’s second term appears increasingly defined by its resolve to dismantle the entrenched Deep State, with Gabbard emerging as a central figure in that effort. Her methodical restructuring of the intelligence community is being hailed by allies as long-overdue reform—and condemned by critics as politically motivated.
Either way, the message is clear: the era of unaccountable bureaucrats operating in the shadows is over.
The intelligence swamp is being drained—and this time, from the top down.
