EXCLUSIVE: Donald Trump's Spy Paranoia Deepens — Radar Reveals Real Reason for Prez's Intelligence Community Cull
President Trump has launched an aggressive hunt for suspected White House leakers.
June 16 2026, Published 11:59 a.m. ET
Donald Trump is intensifying a campaign to overhaul America's intelligence services while simultaneously launching an aggressive hunt for suspected White House leakers – as he fears US officials are spying on him, RadarOnline.com can reveal.
The 80-year-old president has instructed the acting director of national intelligence Bill Pulte to begin reducing personnel across the US intelligence community following the resignation of Tulsi Gabbard.
Trump's Intelligence Shake-Up Begins
Donald Trump intensified a campaign to overhaul US intelligence.
Pulte's appointment places him in temporary charge of 18 intelligence agencies, including the CIA and FBI, while Trump pursues what allies describe as a sweeping effort to reshape institutions he believes expanded beyond their intended role under previous administrations.
The move comes as the White House grapples with concerns over detailed accounts of confidential administration discussions appearing in excerpts from Regime Change, a forthcoming book by New York Times reporters Maggie Haberman and Jonathan Swan.
A source told us: "Trump believes the intelligence agencies expanded too far during the Obama and Biden years and wants trusted leadership to review staffing levels immediately. This is about reducing bureaucracy and removing officials viewed as obstacles to his agenda."
Fears Of A Major Agency Purge
Bill Pulte took temporary charge of 18 intelligence agencies.
Another insider said: "Trump sees Pulte's temporary role as an opportunity to make difficult decisions quickly before a permanent intelligence chief arrives. Make no mistake, a lot of heads appointed during Obama and Biden's time in power are set to roll. This is the equivalent of the US intelligence community's night of the long knives.
"But he's also ordering this purge as he believes intelligence agencies are compiling documents on him that could lead to him facing criminal consequences from his moves while in power in the future. He is becoming sunk in paranoia."
According to White House sources, concerns about potential leaks have become increasingly intertwined with the president's plans for the intelligence community.
One administration official said Trump was convinced "hostile figures remained embedded within government agencies" and was "determined to identify those responsible for disclosures."
White House Leak Panic Grows
Trump ordered a review of current government staffing levels.
A senior administration source said: "Trump is very concerned that some of his and his administration's most sensitive conversations may have been captured and will be shared to the public. The possibility has caused real alarm inside the White House."
The source added: "At this stage, there is still uncertainty about exactly what information may have been captured and who might have had access to it, but Trump is convinced there are spies in the White House working against him and is terrified leaks of talk about the Epstein papers and the Iran war could shock the public if they get out."
Excerpts from Regime Change, which is based on more than 1,000 interviews and is due to be published on June 23, contain detailed accounts of discussions involving Trump's second administration, including conversations concerning Iran and files related to the case against pedophile sex trafficker Epstein.
The level of detail in the extracts has prompted questions within the administration about how information from highly sensitive meetings reached the authors.
Independent recording devices are prohibited inside the White House Situation Room, one of the most secure facilities in the federal government, leading officials to examine whether conversations were reconstructed from interviews or whether other methods were involved.
'Regime Change' Book Sparks Alarm
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Reporters Maggie Haberman and Jonathan Swan wrote a new book.
Trump has openly endorsed culling the US intelligence community.
He said: "I'd like to see it smaller. I think there are a lot of people in there that shouldn't be there."
The president also suggested Pulte's temporary status would allow him to move more aggressively.
"You're less shackled," Trump said of his role. "It sort of gives you more power, you know, for a somewhat limited period of time."
A spokesperson for the Office of the Director of National Intelligence said: "We look forward to working with Mr Pulte and President Trump on additional initiatives to advance savings and root out deep state bad actors."
Meanwhile, neither Haberman nor Swan has commented publicly on speculation surrounding the sourcing of material contained in their Regime Change book.
White House officials have likewise stopped short of challenging the accuracy of the reported conversations, focusing instead on determining how such detailed accounts emerged from some of the government's most tightly controlled discussions.
