CIA is terminating some probationary employees

The CIA has begun terminating certain probationary employees — those with one to two years of experience who have fewer civil service protections — the intelligence agency confirmed Thursday.

The firings come a week after a federal judge permitted CIA Director John Ratcliffe to fire employees at his own discretion after intelligence officers assigned to diversity, equity and inclusion roles were targeted in dismissal orders from the Trump administration.

“At CIA, we are reviewing personnel within their first two years of service at the agency. For some personnel, that process will result in termination. Our officers face unique pressures from working in situations that are fast-paced and high-stakes — it’s not for everyone,” a spokesperson told Nextgov/FCW.

The moves were first reported by the New York Times. It’s not immediately clear how many employees are impacted.

It’s also not immediately clear if other intelligence agencies have taken related steps. A spokesperson for the Office of the Director of National Intelligence — which oversees all U.S. intelligence agencies and programs — said the office doesn’t “have any specific workforce-related changes to share at this time.”

“ODNI and the intelligence community are taking steps to implement the President's priority of gaining maximum value for taxpayers and securing our nation,” the ODNI spokesperson also said.

Other intelligence community elements — including the NSA, National Reconnaissance Office and National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency — did not immediately return requests for comment.

The CIA, one of the nation’s most powerful spy agencies, sent an unclassified email to the White House early last month that listed all of its employees hired within the last two years in response to an executive order that was part of Trump administration and Department of Government Efficiency efforts to reduce the size of the federal workforce and cut back on purported government spending waste.

Recent U.S. intelligence indicates that foreign adversaries, including China and Russia, have accelerated efforts to recruit disgruntled federal workers in national security roles, CNN reported last week. 

Russia and China are directing their efforts toward recently dismissed employees with security clearances and probationary workers facing termination because of their potential access to sensitive information, and at least two nations have already launched recruitment websites and are actively reaching out to federal employees on LinkedIn, sources told the outlet.