In a sweeping personnel shake-up, the CIA has begun dismissing officers involved in recruiting and diversity initiatives, according to a report by The New York Times. The move aligns with President Donald Trump’s executive order curbing diversity programs across federal agencies.
The agency reportedly started informing officers on administrative leave that they must resign or face termination. However, a federal court quickly intervened, pausing the dismissals. A hearing in the Eastern District of Virginia on Monday will determine whether a temporary restraining order against the CIA will stand, The New York Times reported.
John Ratcliffe, the CIA director, may initiate further terminations under the administration’s directive, according to court filings. Kevin Carroll, a lawyer representing 21 intelligence officers who have filed a lawsuit to block the firings, indicated that this may only be the beginning of a broader purge.
While policy shifts in the CIA are common with new administrations, mass firings of career officers are rare. For instance, when former President Barack Obama ended the CIA’s interrogation program, officers accused of torturing Al Qaeda suspects were not dismissed. The last large-scale shake-up occurred in 1977 under President Jimmy Carter, when CIA Director Stansfield Turner removed 198 officers linked to covert operations.
Carroll claims that at least 51 officers currently face review, though none are professional diversity experts. Many were reassigned to recruitment roles during the Biden administration due to their expertise in persuasion and intelligence gathering.
“No one joins the CIA to be a diversity recruiter,” Carroll told The New York Times, arguing that the executive order mandates the end of diversity programs, not the removal of personnel involved in them. He also noted that a national security exception should have shielded the agency from such downsizing.
Government attorneys countered that blocking the dismissals would harm public interest and interfere with Ratcliffe’s authority over agency personnel. The Supreme Court has historically granted broad deference to such decisions, they argued.
Efforts to diversify the intelligence community had been a key priority under former CIA Director William J. Burns and former Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines. Carroll maintains that his clients were simply carrying out mandates from intelligence leaders and Congress, which had endorsed diversity efforts in prior legislation.
“More than any other organization in the U.S. government, the CIA has a requirement for diversity,” Carroll said. “We need to have people who can mix in overseas.”
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