At a moment when Americans have new appreciation for the government professionals who protect against global threats, the Trump administration is weighing cuts in funding and staff for the National Counterterrorism Center, created after Sept. 11, 2001, to shield the homeland from attack.
The debate about trimming the NCTC, as it is known, is part of a broader examination of intelligence coordination by Richard Grenell, a Trump loyalist who was named acting director of national intelligence last month. Grenell replaced Joseph Maguire, a 36-year Navy SEAL who had headed the NCTC before he became acting director of national intelligence last August.
A statement from the DNI’s office said Grenell and his staff had begun a “careful review” of past studies that “have identified opportunities to refocus or transfer activities at ODNI to eliminate duplication of work with other agencies.” While this review is underway, the statement said, Grenell has imposed a “short-term pause in external hiring” at the Office of the Director of National Intelligence and its components, such as the NCTC.
Acting Counterterrorism Center Head Fired, According To Former U.S. Officials
The acting director of the National Counterterrorism Center was fired Wednesday night in what insiders fear is a purge by the Trump administration of career professionals at an organization set up after 9/11 to protect the nation from attacks, according to two former U.S. officials familiar with the matter.
Russell E. Travers, a highly-regarded career professional with more than 40 years of government service, was fired by acting director of national intelligence Richard Grenell, according to one former official, who like others interviewed for this story spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss a sensitive matter.
Travers, who took up the acting position last August, has been resistant to pressure to make personnel cuts at the center, which has been undergoing a review of its mission and effectiveness.
