June 6, 2026
U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), member of the Senate Armed Services Committee and the Senate Intelligence Committee, issued the following statement in response to President Trump telling the Wall Street Journal he plans to have acting Director of National Intelligence Bill Pulte – who didn’t even have a security clearance when he was named to the position – gut America’s intelligence apparatus in the middle of a war: “Donald Trump’s plan to use his unqualified political crony to gut our intelligence agencies directly endangers our national security. This is ridiculous – ODNI is vital to keeping our country safe from threats at home and abroad. Congress established the Office of the Director of National Intelligence to ensure the catastrophic failures that led to 9/11 never happened again. I urge all my colleagues, Democrat and Republican, to oppose this reckless escapade and protect the integrity of our national defense.”
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