The CIA has started to fire some recently hired officers, as the Trump administration’s effort to quickly slash the federal workforce has moved to the spy agency, according to multiple sources with direct knowledge of the matter.
Some employees received word that they would be let go this week, the sources said. The officers were instructed to report to a location away from the agency’s headquarters in Langley, Virginia, where they were told to hand over their credentials, the sources said.
It remained unclear how many intelligence officers would be sacked.
An agency spokesperson said the Central Intelligence Agency is reviewing the status of employees hired within the past two years. “For some personnel, that process will result in termination,” the spokesperson said in an email.
CIA officers have to contend with special pressures and fast-paced situations, and not everyone is suited for the work, the spokesperson said.
Newer employees in intelligence agencies undergo a probation period of up to four years.
CIA officers have been bracing for major changes as President Donald Trump has launched a drive to shrink the government that has shaken other federal agencies and sparked legal battles.
Many employees at the spy agency are anxious about what’s to come and confused about “buy out” offers, which are supposed to allow officers to resign within eight months, according to former intelligence officials and lawyers representing some employees.
A federal judge ruled last week that the Trump administration can go ahead with plans to fire dozens of officers from the CIA and the Office of the Director of Intelligence who had temporary jobs working on diversity programs.
The judge’s decision endorsed the government’s argument that the CIA director can fire any employee if it is deemed in the national interest. The employees who were terminated were experienced officers and had argued that they should be reassigned to new jobs as they had only been following orders from the previous administration.
Steven Cash, a former CIA officer and staff member on the Senate Intelligence Committee, said dismissing recently hired employees could have damaging consequences for the agency.
“The CIA plans years in advance, recruiting new talent, investing significant time and money into training them, all with the expectation that they will be ready to meet America’s needs in the future," Cash said in an interview.
"Firing the new employees will be devastating,” he added. “It would be like a baseball team firing all of their minor league players.”