What is the National Intelligence Council?
The National Intelligence Council (NIC) is a part of the U.S. intelligence community that focuses on long-term strategic analysis. It supports the Director of National Intelligence (DNI) and is best known for producing National Intelligence Estimates (NIEs)—comprehensive reports that assess major threats and global trends affecting U.S. national security.
The NIC brings together experts from across the intelligence community, government, academia, and private sector to provide objective, nonpartisan analysis. Its role is to offer a big-picture perspective on global issues like terrorism, military threats, economic trends, and geopolitical shifts. Essentially, the NIC helps top policymakers, including the President, understand complex global developments and make informed decisions.
TL;DR: The National Intelligence Council writes big-picture reports to help U.S. leaders understand threats and make smart decisions about national security.
List of National Intelligence Council Firings
Below is a list of people that have at the National Intelligence Council who been fired by President Donald Trump or the Trump Administration, sorted by most recent:
Michael Collins
Acting Chair – National Intelligence Council
Fired on May 13, 2025
Michael Collins, the former acting chair of the National Intelligence Council (NIC), was dismissed by Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard on May 13, 2025 after the NIC released an assessment that contradicted former President Donald Trump’s justification for deporting alleged Venezuelan gang members under the Alien Enemies Act. With over 25 years of experience in the intelligence field, Collins faced whistleblower accusations of political bias and of working to undermine Trump’s incoming administration. He was also reportedly tied to former CIA Deputy Director Michael Morrell, who played a key role in organizing the controversial 2020 letter that framed Hunter Biden’s laptop as likely Russian disinformation.
Sources on the Firing of Michael Collins
- Lawmaker demands explanation for Trump administration’s ouster of intelligence analysts (Reuters)
- Gabbard fires ‘deep state’ heads of National Intelligence Council to root out ‘politicization of intel’ (Fox News)
- Gabbard fires officials who released memo contradicting Trump’s Venezuela gang claims (The Guardian)
- Gabbard fires the wrong intelligence officials, at the wrong time, for the wrong reason (MSNBC)
- Gabbard fires top National Intelligence Council officials (The Hill)
- National Intelligence Council Acting Chair and Aide Fired (NewsMax)
TL;DR: Michael Collins, a longtime intelligence official, was fired in May 2025 after his agency released a report that challenged Trump’s reasons for deporting Venezuelan gang members in addition to accusations of political bias against him.
Maria Langan-Riekhof
Deputy to the Acting Chair – National Intelligence Council
Fired on May 13, 2025
Maria Langan-Riekhof, deputy to Michael Collins at the National Intelligence Council, was also removed from her position by Tulsi Gabbard in the same shake-up on May 13, 2025. Like Collins, Langan-Riekhof had more than two decades of experience in the intelligence community and was part of the NIC leadership team that authored the disputed assessment. While less publicly scrutinized than her superior, her dismissal was attributed to broader concerns from Gabbard’s office about opposition to Trump within the NIC and a stated goal of depoliticizing the intelligence apparatus.
Sources on the Firing of Mari Langan-Riekhof
- Lawmaker demands explanation for Trump administration’s ouster of intelligence analysts (Reuters)
- Gabbard fires ‘deep state’ heads of National Intelligence Council to root out ‘politicization of intel’ (Fox News)
- Gabbard fires officials who released memo contradicting Trump’s Venezuela gang claims (The Guardian)
- Gabbard fires the wrong intelligence officials, at the wrong time, for the wrong reason (MSNBC)
- Gabbard fires top National Intelligence Council officials (The Hill)
- National Intelligence Council Acting Chair and Aide Fired (NewsMax)
TL;DR: Maria Langan-Riekhof, a longtime intelligence official, was fired alongside her boss in May 2025 during a shake-up aimed at removing people seen as opposing Trump within the intelligence community.
Trump Firings 