Trump vows purge of 'deep state' as intelligence agencies face sweeping cuts

President Trump has launched an effort to purge what he calls the “deep state,” promising to remove corrupt personnel from the national security and intelligence community. He has placed loyalists with limited experience—Pete Hegseth at the Pentagon, Kash Patel at the FBI, and John Ratcliffe at the CIA—raising concerns they will provide only the information the president wants. Observers such as author Tim Weiner and former CIA officer Marc Polymeropoulos argue the overhaul undermines systems created after 9/11, including the CIA’s counterterrorism successes and the Department of Homeland Security’s growth.

Former officials like Steven Cash, now leading the Steady State group of ex-national-security officials, resigned in protest, warning that the cuts could erase years of progress. The director of national intelligence office has also been trimmed, and critics fear reduced cooperation with foreign partners will weaken U.S. intelligence worldwide.