The Central Intelligence Agency has ceased providing input on several intelligence assessments produced by the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, including reports related to the ongoing Iran war, sources confirmed [1, 2, 3].
The breakdown stems from over a year of infighting between the CIA and ODNI regarding control over intelligence sharing and responsibility boundaries. The discord has disrupted collaboration on national security analyses [1, 2, 3]. The ODNI oversees coordination of 18 U.S. intelligence agencies and was established after the 9/11 attacks. The CIA remains a key agency focused on foreign intelligence collection and analysis [1].
Tensions began after Tulsi Gabbard was appointed Director of National Intelligence in February 2025. Soon after taking office, she implemented changes to the President’s Daily Brief and created a ‘Director’s Initiative Group’ aimed at rooting out politicization in intelligence reporting [1, 3].
CIA Director Ratcliffe viewed the initiative group as a way that undercut normal intelligence sharing and declassification procedures. Meanwhile, the ODNI accused the CIA of blocking needed intelligence access, intensifying distrust between the agencies [1, 3]. This friction led the CIA to sharply reduce its contributions to key ODNI-led assessments, including those produced by the National Intelligence Council, which is responsible for high-level intelligence analysis [1, 3].
On May 22, 2026, Gabbard announced she would resign as DNI citing her husband’s ill health [1, 3]. President Trump has appointed Bill Pulte, head of the Federal Housing Finance Agency, as acting Director of National Intelligence effective June 30, 2026 [1, 3].
The transition in leadership comes amid ongoing tensions and may affect how the intelligence community coordinates critical threat assessments in the near term.
