• 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
Fortune Secondary Logo
Rankings
  • 100 Best Companies
  • Fortune 500
  • Global 500
  • Fortune 500 Europe
  • Most Powerful Women
  • World's Most Admired Companies
  • See All Rankings
  • Lists Calendar
Sections
  • Finance
  • Fortune Crypto
  • Features
  • Leadership
  • Health
  • Commentary
  • Success
  • Retail
  • Mpw
  • Tech
  • Lifestyle
  • CEO Initiative
  • Asia
  • Politics
  • Conferences
  • Europe
  • Newsletters
  • Personal Finance
  • Environment
  • Magazine
  • 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
  • Group Subscriptions
About Us
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • Facebook icon
  • Twitter icon
  • LinkedIn icon
  • Instagram icon
  • Pinterest icon

Latest in Tech

Hitting the ‘GenAI wall’: Where generative AI stops working, and what it means for your talent strategy
AILeadership
Hitting the ‘GenAI wall’: Where generative AI stops working, and what it means for your talent strategy
By François Candelon and Iavor BojinovMay 1, 2026
28 minutes ago
Evan Spiegel wears a black t-shirt and speaks into a microphone while on stage.
AITech
Snap CEO praises AI for writing two-thirds of the company’s code but warns fellow tech executives underestimate ‘societal pushback’ to the tech
By Sasha RogelbergMay 1, 2026
53 minutes ago
Meta wants to spend more even after it lost $80 billion on the Metaverse and over 20 million users
Big TechMeta
Meta wants to spend more even after it lost $80 billion on the Metaverse and over 20 million users
By Marco Quiroz-GutierrezMay 1, 2026
2 hours ago
Tim Cook reveals the advice he gave Apple’s next CEO: The most important decision he’ll make is ‘where he spends his time’
Big TechApple
Tim Cook reveals the advice he gave Apple’s next CEO: The most important decision he’ll make is ‘where he spends his time’
By Alexei OreskovicApril 30, 2026
9 hours ago
Meta’s threat to quit New Mexico ‘is showing the world how little it cares about child safety,’ AG says
LawMeta
Meta’s threat to quit New Mexico ‘is showing the world how little it cares about child safety,’ AG says
By Catherina GioinoApril 30, 2026
12 hours ago
Meta's Hyperion data-center site in Northeastern Louisiana.
NewslettersEye on AI
Big Tech will spend nearly $700 billion on AI this year. No one knows where the buildout ends
By Sharon GoldmanApril 30, 2026
15 hours ago

Most Popular

Apple cofounder Ronald Wayne—whose stake would be worth up to $400 billion had he not sold it in 1976—says that at 91, he has no regrets
Success
Apple cofounder Ronald Wayne—whose stake would be worth up to $400 billion had he not sold it in 1976—says that at 91, he has no regrets
By Preston ForeApril 27, 2026
4 days ago
China dominates the world's lithium supply. The U.S. just found 328 years' worth in its own backyard
North America
China dominates the world's lithium supply. The U.S. just found 328 years' worth in its own backyard
By Jake AngeloApril 30, 2026
16 hours ago
Accenture's Julie Sweet blew up 50 years of company history. She says the hardest part is still ahead
Conferences
Accenture's Julie Sweet blew up 50 years of company history. She says the hardest part is still ahead
By Nick LichtenbergApril 29, 2026
2 days ago
Google Cloud revenue is now 18% of Alphabet's business. Is this the beginning of the end of Google's search identity?
Big Tech
Google Cloud revenue is now 18% of Alphabet's business. Is this the beginning of the end of Google's search identity?
By Alexei OreskovicApril 29, 2026
1 day ago
With no end in sight, Trump considers new options in Iran war—including the ‘Dark Eagle’ hypersonic missile
Big Tech
With no end in sight, Trump considers new options in Iran war—including the ‘Dark Eagle’ hypersonic missile
By Jim EdwardsApril 30, 2026
24 hours ago
‘The cost of compute is far beyond the costs of the employees’: Nvidia executive says right now AI is more expensive than paying human workers
AI
‘The cost of compute is far beyond the costs of the employees’: Nvidia executive says right now AI is more expensive than paying human workers
By Sasha RogelbergApril 28, 2026
3 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.