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Former CIA director Burns calls Trump firings of U.S. workers ‘’a war on...expertise’’ | |||
2025-08-21 | |||
"Under the guise of reform, you all got caught in the crossfire of a retribution campaign - of a war on public service and expertise," Burns wrote in a "Letter to America's Discarded Public Servants" published in The Atlantic magazine.
Burns was CIA director under Democratic former President Joe Biden, and a foreign service officer. He served three Democratic and three Republican presidents. His career included stints as U.S. ambassador to Russia and deputy secretary of State. Taking aim at U.S. President Donald Trump's sweeping purge of federal workers, including State Department staff and U.S. intelligence officers, Burns said that civil servants recognize the need for serious government reforms. "But there is a smart way and a dumb way to tackle reform, a humane way and an intentionally traumatizing way," he said. "This is not about reform. It's about retribution. It's about breaking people and breaking institutions by sowing fear and mistrust throughout our government."
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Posted by:Besoeker |
#13 Considering most are bloated behemoths... and that was the take after 9/11 and it has only gotten worse... go for it. Fire them all |
Posted by: DarthVader 2025-08-21 16:59 |
#12 Tulsi Gabbard announces plans to cut intelligence staff by half and double their collective IQ? Because none of us are as dumb as all of us. |
Posted by: SteveS 2025-08-21 11:22 |
#11 If they are working against us to the benefit of our enemies, I'd say they started the war. |
Posted by: Silentbrick 2025-08-21 11:11 |
#10 Tulsi Gabbard announces plans to cut intelligence staff by half and double their collective IQ? |
Posted by: Grom the Affective 2025-08-21 10:14 |
#9 Tulsi Gabbard announces plans to cut intelligence staff by half "Those in the Intelligence Community who betray their oath to the Constitution and put their own interests ahead of the interests of the American people have broken the sacred trust they promised to uphold." |
Posted by: Skidmark 2025-08-21 10:12 |
#8 #6 One of the problems with leaving any large organization is thinking that the organization will miss you when you're gone. Posted by ed in texas Yup. If you believe that, go on a 3-4 week vacation and see if it collapses |
Posted by: Frank G 2025-08-21 09:30 |
#7 Ha! No truer words ever spoken. "Large organization".....seven or more people. |
Posted by: Besoeker 2025-08-21 08:21 |
#6 One of the problems with leaving any large organization is thinking that the organization will miss you when you're gone. |
Posted by: ed in texas 2025-08-21 08:14 |
#5 You mean when you missed the collapse of the Soviet Union or you bombed the Chinese Embassy in Yugoslavia or Saddam's invasion of Kuwait or.... |
Posted by: Procopius2k 2025-08-21 08:04 |
#4 /\ Burn's career matches the rise of the weaponization of the CIA. What he calls expertise, I would call corruption. But they are so much wiser than we commoners. |
Posted by: Besoeker 2025-08-21 07:41 |
#3 I enjoy watching the fake empathy from people with no empathy for those not aligned politically. |
Posted by: Airandee 2025-08-21 06:36 |
#2 an intentionally traumatizing way I voted for that |
Posted by: Frank G 2025-08-21 05:46 |
#1 Burn's career matches the rise of the weaponization of the CIA. What he calls expertise, I would call corruption. We don’t need intelligence professionals running disinformation ops in CONUS. If he still has a clearance, I would like to see his removed. |
Posted by: Super Hose 2025-08-21 05:42 |