Incoming House intelligence chair plans Trump spy-agency investigations
Where it stands
Himes says the incoming Democratic-led committee plans investigations next year; no formal inquiry, subpoena, hearing or committee finding was identified.
Sources reviewed: Nov 11, 2026 · 3:02 PM EST
Representative Jim Himes, who is expected to chair the House Intelligence Committee when Democrats take control in January, told Reuters that the committee plans to investigate the Trump administration's handling of U.S. intelligence agencies. Himes said the work would examine alleged retaliatory firings, political pressure on analysts, relationships with defense and intelligence contractors, and covert operations overseas.
He also said analysts had become hesitant to write on controversial subjects and cited an internal 2025 workforce survey. Those are Himes's allegations and planned lines of inquiry, not findings by the committee.
He did not disclose how the investigations would proceed, and no formal investigation, subpoena or hearing notice was identified during the Ledger's review.
The response.
Reuters reported that the administration fired or forced out hundreds of intelligence officers during Trump's second term and that former Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard reduced her agency's staff by about 40 percent, while CIA Director John Ratcliffe publicly pledged to reduce staffing by more than 1,000 positions over several years. Reuters said both agencies offered deferred-resignation programs. The White House, CIA and Office of the Director of National Intelligence did not provide a new response in the reviewed November 10 report. In earlier Reuters reporting, current Director of National Intelligence Jay Clayton's office said he remained committed to giving decision-makers the intelligence and resources they need. The internal survey and other intelligence-community reporting Himes said he was working to declassify were not publicly accessible, so the Ledger relies on Reuters for their contents and does not treat them as independently verified public findings.
Dates & scope
Source publication: Nov 10, 2026 · 5:35 PM EST · Source update: 2026-11-11
Event or conduct: 2026-11-10.
Full chronology and review notes
Representative Jim Himes described the planned oversight in a November 10 interview with Reuters. Reuters published its report at 10:35 p.m. UTC, corresponding to 5:35 p.m. EST November 10. The Ledger reviewed the report, the House Intelligence Committee Democrats' current public releases and available public records at 3:02 p.m. EST November 11. The interview, Reuters publication, any future opening of an investigation and the Ledger review are distinct events.
This is a dated report. The source-review time records when the linked sources were checked; it is not a live update.
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Open the original record.
- Reuters: House Democrats to investigate Trump's handling of US spy agencies ↗
November 10 report published at 5:35 p.m. EST based on Himes's interview, prior Reuters reporting and described internal intelligence-community material; the planned investigations are not yet committee findings
- House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence Democrats: 2026 news and press releases ↗
Primary committee archive reviewed November 11; it documents prior oversight positions and showed no separate November 10 or 11 release formally opening the investigations described to Reuters
- Reuters: US intelligence sharing has fractured under Trump, officials say ↗
November 3 background report cited for prior allegations about disrupted intelligence sharing and the current ODNI response; unnamed-source reporting is attributed to Reuters
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