The head of the US Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA), Lieutenant General Jeffrey Cruz, has been fired, Reuters reported, citing a US congressional senator and Pentagon officials.
"The removal of yet another senior national security official highlights the Trump administration's dangerous habit of subjecting intelligence to a loyalty test rather than viewing it as a tool to protect our country," said Senator Mark Warner, vice chairman of the US Senate Select Committee on Intelligence.
The DIA and the Pentagon have not yet commented on the news of the dismissal.
This is the latest attempt by the Trump administration to punish current and former military, intelligence and law enforcement officials whose views differ from those of the Republican president, Reuters reported.
It is not yet clear what the motives for Cruz's dismissal are, but a preliminary assessment by the Military Intelligence Agency was recently leaked to the media, according to which the air strikes carried out by the United States on June 22 against three Iranian nuclear facilities delayed Tehran's program by only a few months. This contradicts Trump's claim that the targets were "destroyed".
The White House condemned the assessment as "totally wrong", and Trump attacked CNN, "The New York Times" and other media outlets that published this information, calling them "junkies" and "fake news" writers.
In April, Trump removed General Timothy Howe from his position as director of the National Security Agency (NSA) in a purge that affected more than 10 staff members on the White House National Security Council. The Trump administration says the sweeping purge of military, intelligence and diplomatic staff is part of an effort to reduce government staffing, cut the federal budget and crack down on what it describes as "politicization" or "weaponization of intelligence."
Just days ago, U.S. Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard announced that she was revoking classified information from 37 current and former intelligence officials. Earlier this week, Gabbard announced that more than 40% of the staff in her office would be cut starting October 1, adding that this would save more than $700 million annually.
US President Donald Trump announced that he was nominating Sergio Gore as the new US ambassador to India and special envoy for South and Central Asia, Reuters reported.
Gore, who is currently the head of the White House Office of Presidential Staff, will remain in this position until his nomination as ambassador to Delhi is approved.