
News Link • Central Intelligence Agency
CIA begins DOGE-inspired purge of employees as they get summoned to off-site location to...
• https://www.dailymail.co, By KATELYN CARALLEThe latest newly hired probationary federal workers hit with a wave of layoffs is the Central Intelligence Agency.
CIA officers hired within the last two years are being summoned to off-site locations, fired and forced to surrender their badges to security personnel, three people briefing on the layoffs told The New York Times.
President Donald Trump said that agencies would begin initiating their own cuts and firings inspired by the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) actions over the first month of his second term.
And the CIA under Director John Ratcliffe wasted no time getting to work on trimming down their workforce under Trump's orders.
It's not clear how many officers were let go so far and how many will lose their jobs.
People familiar with the effort, however, insist not all recent hires and probationary employees will be dismissed.
The reduction in CIA workforce came after a judge cleared the way for Ratcliffe to fire employees at will.
Judge Anthony J. Trenga of the Eastern District of Virginia ruled on a lawsuit brought by CIA officers who were assigned to the diversity and recruiting efforts under the previous administration.
They were removed under Trump's order to get rid of any diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) programs or department within the federal government.
But Judge Trenga'a ruling was sweeping and gave Director Ratcliffe the power to remove any CIA officer for any reason – without giving them a right of appeal.
This rejected defendants arguments that the workers were being denied their 14th Amendment right to due process as well violations of their free speech rights under the First Amendment.
CIA general counsel approved Ratcliffe's efforts to shrink the agency after reviewing the ruling.
Kevin Carroll, an attorney representing fired agency officers, said Judge Trenga strongly recommended Ratcliffe allow fired employees to appeal termination.
'Literally millions of dollars has been put into some of these probationary employees,' Mr. Carroll said.
Officers selected for the firings were summoned, without given reason, to a location away from CIA headquarters in Langley, Virginia and told to hand over their credentials to access the building.
A spokeswoman confirmed that officers hired in the past two years have been fired.