In the days leading up to President Donald Trump’s Aug. 15 Alaska summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin, one of the CIA’s seniormost Russia experts worked grueling hours, helping Trump and his team prepare for highstakes diplomacy over Ukraine and making sure they were adequately briefed, according to a former agency colleague.

Four days later, the CIA officer — whom the Washington Post is not naming for her protection — was at work at the spy agency’s Langley headquarters when she was abruptly ordered to report to the security office.

She was informed that her clearance to look at classified material was being stripped. In a span of minutes, her 29-year career in public service was essentially over.

The officer b ecame the latest casualty of a widening cull by Trump and Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, fueled at times by farright activist Laura Loomer .

An Aug. 19 memo from Gabbard, posted on X, listed no specific infractions, but to many current and former officials it looked to be a revenge-driven loyalty purge.

Among the 37 people whose clearances Gabbard publicly revoked were senior U.S. intelligence officials, including the CIA officer.

T he forced ousters have r emoved one of the government’s foremost experts on artificial intelligence; leaders at the National Security Agency, whose vast electronic eavesdropping haul makes up some of the most vital intelligence sent to the White House; the head of U.S. Cyber Command; as well as the director of the Pentagon’s Defense Intelligence Agency.

T he ax has fallen on spy agency personnel with decades of experience dealing with Russia and Ukraine, potentially depriving the Trump administration of expertise as it conducts high-stakes diplomacy with Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to try to end the conflict that began with Russia’s February 2022 invasion, former U.S. officials said.

T he CIA officer’s dismissal sent shock waves through the workforce, a f ormer official said. “W hat analyst in their right mind is going to write something that in any way challenges ... what they think the administration’s view is if they think they’re going to get fired over it?”