• Home
  • Latest
  • Fortune 500
  • Finance
  • Tech
  • Leadership
  • Lifestyle
  • Rankings
  • Multimedia
TechDonald Trump

Donald Trump Has No Plans to Shake Up U.S. Spy Agencies, Spokesman Says

Robert Hackett
By
Robert Hackett
Robert Hackett
Down Arrow Button Icon
Robert Hackett
By
Robert Hackett
Robert Hackett
Down Arrow Button Icon
January 5, 2017, 12:56 PM ET
US-POLITICS-TRUMP
President-elect Donald Trump arrives to speak at a USA Thank You Tour 2016 at the Giant Center on December 15, 2016 in Hershey, Pennsylvania. / AFP / Don EMMERT (Photo credit should read DON EMMERT/AFP/Getty Images)Don Emmert—AFP/Getty Images

President-elect Donald Trump has no plans to restructure two of the nation’s top spy agencies, according to spokesman Sean Spicer, contradicting a report that he would undertake a major shakeup.

“There is no truth to this idea of restructuring the intelligence community infrastructure,” Spicer said on a conference call with journalists and reported by Reuters. “It is 100% false.”

The statement bucks a report published Wednesday by the Wall Street Journal that said the Republican billionaire is preparing to pare back the Office of the Director of National Intelligence as well as the Central Intelligence Agency. One aspect of the reported proposals supposedly involved reducing headcount at the CIA’s headquarters in Langley, Va. while moving staff to posts outside the country.

“The view from the Trump team is the intelligence world has become completely politicized,” said one source close to the reported plans, according to the Journal. “They all need to be slimmed down. The focus will be on restructuring the agencies and how they interact.”

Get Data Sheet, Fortune’s technology newsletter.

Trump’s spokesman’s comments cast some doubt on a spy agency reorganization, although the President-elect’s surrogates have a tendency to dispel statements reportedly made by Trump and his advisors both on and off the record. “All transition activities are for information gathering purposes and all discussions are tentative,” Spicer said on the call, leaving open the possibility that an intel reorg has been privately discussed.

For months, Trump has posted disparaging comments about intelligence agencies on social media. He has repeatedly jabbed them for their reports about alleged Russian interference in U.S. elections.

“The ‘Intelligence’ briefing on so-called ‘Russian hacking’ was delayed until Friday, perhaps more time needed to build a case. Very strange!” Trump said in a Twitter post on Tuesday. An unnamed U.S. official later told NBC News that the meeting was always scheduled for Friday.

A day later Trump quoted Julian Assange, founder of WikiLeaks, as saying that Russia was not the source of hacked political party documents and emails that he published during the campaign season, despite U.S. agencies’ assertions to the contrary. Trump has refused to acknowledge the intelligence community’s conclusions.

For more on Russia and politics, watch:

A Trump spokesperson did not immediately reply to Fortune’s request for additional information. The President-elect did, however, later post on Twitter that he supports “intelligence” and does not endorse Assange.

The dishonest media likes saying that I am in Agreement with Julian Assange – wrong. I simply state what he states, it is for the people….

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 5, 2017

to make up their own minds as to the truth. The media lies to make it look like I am against "Intelligence" when in fact I am a big fan!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 5, 2017

A U.S. official not authorized to speak on the record told Fortune that the workforce of the Office of the Director of National Intelligence is about 1,800-strong, in addition to a steady stream of joint duty officers who complement the staff.

The CIA declined to comment.

About the Author
Robert Hackett
By Robert Hackett
Instagram iconLinkedIn iconTwitter icon
See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon

Latest in Tech

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025

Most Popular

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Rankings
  • 100 Best Companies
  • Fortune 500
  • Global 500
  • Fortune 500 Europe
  • Most Powerful Women
  • Future 50
  • World’s Most Admired Companies
  • See All Rankings
Sections
  • Finance
  • Leadership
  • Success
  • Tech
  • Asia
  • Europe
  • Environment
  • Fortune Crypto
  • Health
  • Retail
  • Lifestyle
  • Politics
  • Newsletters
  • Magazine
  • Features
  • Commentary
  • Mpw
  • CEO Initiative
  • Conferences
  • Personal Finance
  • Education
Customer Support
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Customer Service Portal
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms Of Use
  • Single Issues For Purchase
  • International Print
Commercial Services
  • Advertising
  • Fortune Brand Studio
  • Fortune Analytics
  • Fortune Conferences
  • Business Development
About Us
  • About Us
  • Editorial Calendar
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Diversity And Inclusion
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • Facebook icon
  • Twitter icon
  • LinkedIn icon
  • Instagram icon
  • Pinterest icon

Latest in Tech

Big TechMeta
Zuckerberg on the stand amid claims Meta failed to protect kids online
By Kaitlyn Huamani, Barbara Ortutay and The Associated PressFebruary 18, 2026
2 hours ago
barr
AILabor
AI doomsday where many workers are ‘essentially unemployable’ is totally possible, Fed governor says
By Nick LichtenbergFebruary 18, 2026
3 hours ago
Man in black t-shirt talking
AIIPOs
Figma investors cheer 40% growth, ties to Anthropic and OpenAI—but concerns remain about letting the ‘fox into the hen house’
By Amanda GerutFebruary 18, 2026
4 hours ago
Big TechElon Musk
Elon Musk’s biggest bet hits a pothole: Tesla robotaxis are crashing four times more than human drivers
By Jordyn Grzelewski and Tech BrewFebruary 18, 2026
4 hours ago
robot
AICareers
Deutsche Bank asked AI how it was planning to destroy jobs. And the robot answered
By Nick LichtenbergFebruary 18, 2026
4 hours ago
karp
AIpalantir
High-flier: Palantir CEO Alex Karp spent $17.2 million on private jets in 2025, filing reveals
By Nick LichtenbergFebruary 18, 2026
5 hours ago

Most Popular

placeholder alt text
AI
Thousands of CEOs just admitted AI had no impact on employment or productivity—and it has economists resurrecting a paradox from 40 years ago
By Sasha RogelbergFebruary 17, 2026
1 day ago
placeholder alt text
Personal Finance
You need $2 million to retire and 'almost no one is close,' BlackRock CEO warns, a problem that Gen X will make 'harder and nastier'
By Sydney LakeFebruary 17, 2026
1 day ago
placeholder alt text
Economy
Trump crackdown drives 80% plunge in immigrant employment, reshaping labor market, Goldman says
By Nick LichtenbergFebruary 17, 2026
1 day ago
placeholder alt text
Economy
$56 trillion national debt leading to a spiraling crisis: Budget watchdog warns the U.S. is walking a crumbling path
By Nick LichtenbergFebruary 17, 2026
1 day ago
placeholder alt text
Personal Finance
Current price of silver as of Tuesday, February 17, 2026
By Joseph HostetlerFebruary 17, 2026
1 day ago
placeholder alt text
Commentary
Something big is happening in AI — and most people will be blindsided
By Matt ShumerFebruary 11, 2026
7 days ago

© 2026 Fortune Media IP Limited. All Rights Reserved. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy | CA Notice at Collection and Privacy Notice | Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information
FORTUNE is a trademark of Fortune Media IP Limited, registered in the U.S. and other countries. FORTUNE may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.