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Gabbard cuts ODNI staff by 40% and revokes 37 security clearances, potentially exposing a CIA undercover officer

The public naming of officials in a clearance revocation memo may have blown the cover of a CIA officer·August 1, 2025

DNI Tulsi Gabbard announced plans to cut ODNI's 1,850-person workforce by over 40 percent, targeting the External Research Council and Strategic Futures Group as "hubs for injecting partisan priorities." She simultaneously revoked the security clearances of 37 current and former intelligence officials — including the CIA's senior Russia expert — naming several in a public memo that may have exposed an undercover CIA officer. Former officials say the mass clearance revocation without individualized due process violates established security procedures.

Key facts

The Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) was created in 2004 after 9/11 exposed systemic failures in intelligence sharing between the CIA, FBI, and NSA. Its purpose was to integrate intelligence from all 18 agencies and ensure coordinated analysis to prevent attacks.

In August 2025, DNI Tulsi Gabbard announced "ODNI 2.0" - a plan to cut ODNI staff by more than 40% from approximately 1,850 to around 1,300 employees, saving over $700 million annually. The cuts eliminate units she labeled "hubs for injecting partisan priorities."

Gabbard revoked security clearances for 37 current and former intelligence officials without individualized due process. Executive Order 12968 requires written notice, access to evidence, and two levels of administrative appeal before clearance can be revoked.

The public memo listing the 37 officials may have blown the cover of an active CIA undercover officer — a 29-year veteran Russia expert preparing for an approved overseas posting — because ODNI did not consult the CIA before publishing names.

Among the eliminated units were the External Research Council and Strategic Futures Group, which provided long-range forecasting and outside expert analysis. The Foreign Malign Influence Center, which monitors foreign election interference, was also eliminated.

ODNI was moved from CIA headquarters to Liberty Crossing facility, with new review layers added over sensitive assessments, giving political appointees more direct oversight of intelligence products.