Four Senior ODNI Officials Exit as Pulte Assumes Acting DNI Role

At least four senior officials at the Office of the Director of National Intelligence departed around the time acting Director Bill Pulte assumed control of the agency on June 19, 2026, according to POLITICO. Alexa Henning, who served as chief of staff to former Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, and Olivia Coleman, the office's press secretary, confirmed their departures directly to POLITICO. As of the Friday Pulte took charge, Dennis Kirk, ODNI's chief operating officer, and Andrew Cuff, the assistant DNI for strategic communications, were also no longer listed on the office's official leadership page, according to internet archive data reviewed by POLITICO. ODNI did not respond to requests for comment on any of the four departures [POLITICO].

Pulte's appointment followed Gabbard's resignation, effective June 30, 2026, which she attributed to her husband Abraham Williams's diagnosis with a rare form of bone cancer [CNN]^[1]. Trump announced on Truth Social that he had named Pulte as acting DNI and directed him "to execute the immediate and needed downsizing of the office, reverting staff to their home agencies."^[2] Pulte will retain his concurrent role as director of the Federal Housing Finance Agency and chairman of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.^[3] Trump separately nominated U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York Jay Clayton to serve as the permanent, Senate-confirmed DNI, but Trump abruptly halted Clayton's participation in a confirmation hearing, leaving Pulte's tenure of indeterminate length.^[4][5]

The transition carries statutory weight. The section of federal law establishing the DNI position requires that any nominee have "extensive national security expertise."^[6] Pulte has no known background in intelligence, counterterrorism, diplomacy, military affairs, or national security policy; his professional experience outside his current administration post is rooted in real estate, private equity, and philanthropy.^[7] That requirement applies to confirmed nominees; as an acting official, Pulte was not subject to Senate confirmation. As director of national intelligence, Pulte oversees 18 intelligence agencies.^[2]

Pulte moved quickly on personnel. He arrived at ODNI a day ahead of his scheduled start date after requesting a list of every employee in the office, catching outgoing Director Gabbard off-guard.^[2] Will Ruger, the deputy director of national intelligence for mission integration, was placed on administrative leave as part of a broader personnel shakeup that removed roughly 50 career and political staffers from their roles since Pulte became acting director.^[8] Senate Intelligence Committee Chairman Tom Cotton of Arkansas said Pulte told him roughly 45 to 50 career officers were being sent back to their home agencies, while a smaller number of front-office personnel were leaving federal service altogether.^[8] All offices were also asked to provide a ranked list of their personnel, a step two sources associated with Pulte's mandate to carry out mass firings.^[2]

The departures accelerate a restructuring that predates Pulte. Under Gabbard, ODNI reduced or reassigned staff by 40% and consolidated several offices and analytic functions through its "ODNI 2.0" initiative.^[3] A document released in August 2025 stated the agency had reduced its size by nearly 30%, or more than 500 staffers, in the first six months under Gabbard, with plans to increase that figure to 50%.^[9] Gabbard's office had announced the effort would save more than $700 million annually.^[8]

Congressional Democrats moved to check Pulte before his first full week concluded. The ranking members of the Senate and House Intelligence Committees, Sen. Mark Warner of Virginia and Rep. Jim Himes of Connecticut, sent Pulte a letter warning that large cuts would compound a substantial downsizing already completed in 2025 and risk jeopardizing the mission of an organization created after 9/11 to prevent future terrorist attacks.^[2][10] The letter also warned that preserving federal records and safeguarding information critical to congressional oversight is a legal obligation applicable to Pulte and all ODNI employees, including messages sent using encryption.^[10]

Henning told POLITICO she departed voluntarily and is in discussions with the White House about other administration opportunities. Coleman, also speaking to POLITICO, said in her resignation letter that her departure was long-planned and she expressed support for the administration's work [POLITICO]. The status of Kirk and Cuff remains unconfirmed by ODNI. Kirk, who served as ODNI's chief operating officer responsible for corporate governance, financial operations, information technology, and security, had previously been a senior adviser to Gabbard implementing executive orders and the Presidential Management Agenda.^[11] The cluster of front-office exits, coming simultaneously with Pulte's arrival and the onset of mass firings, leaves the agency's institutional continuity dependent on Principal Deputy DNI Aaron Lukas, a veteran CIA officer,^[6] at a moment when the office's analytic and coordination functions face their most significant restructuring since ODNI was established under the Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act of 2004.