Trump named FHFA Director Bill Pulte acting intelligence chief and wants him to begin shrinking the office, intensifying questions over his qualifications.
President Donald Trump’s decision to install Federal Housing Finance Agency Director Bill Pulte as acting director of national intelligence has quickly become a fight over whether a trusted manager can lead a sensitive national security post without an intelligence background.
Pulte is replacing outgoing Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard on an acting basis while continuing to lead the FHFA, the housing finance regulator that oversees Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. Trump has said Pulte will not be the permanent choice, but he also wants him to begin cutting the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, which coordinates 18 U.S. intelligence agencies, including the CIA and National Security Agency.
The president has framed Pulte’s temporary role as part of a broader effort to reduce what he sees as a bloated intelligence bureaucracy. In a Truth Social post announcing the selection, Trump praised Pulte’s work overseeing the housing finance system and said he had handled “the most sensitive matters in America.” Trump later told The Wall Street Journal he wanted the office smaller and wanted Pulte to “start the process” of reducing staff.
Trump told reporters at the White House that Pulte was “somebody just to take it over for a little while” and said he was interviewing candidates for the permanent post. Asked why Pulte was suited for the job, Trump pointed to his intelligence and ability to adapt quickly, saying the assignment would be short term.
Supporters of the move have emphasized Pulte’s willingness to challenge bureaucracy and carry out Trump’s agenda rather than any traditional intelligence résumé. Sen. Tom Cotton, the Arkansas Republican who chairs the Senate Intelligence Committee, backed the downsizing push, arguing that ODNI has expanded beyond the mission Congress intended when it created the office after the Sept. 11 attacks.
Rep. Anna Paulina Luna, R-Fla., also defended the selection, saying Trump needed someone who would not obstruct declassification efforts and would help locate documents. White House communications director Steven Cheung called Pulte a “great American and Patriot” who would fight for Trump’s agenda.
The appointment has drawn sharp criticism from lawmakers who say the director of national intelligence is not a post for on-the-job training. Former Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell said anyone performing the role must have the “extensive national security experience required by statute,” adding that no nominee who falls short of that standard would receive his vote.
Senate Intelligence Committee Vice Chairman Mark Warner, D-Va., said the concern was not only Pulte’s lack of experience, but whether the White House wanted someone who would provide “the narrative it wants, not the intelligence we need.” Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick, R-Pa., a former FBI agent who chairs the House Intelligence Committee’s CIA Subcommittee, was more blunt: “He shouldn’t be there,” Fitzpatrick said. “He’s got no background in intelligence.”
Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., also questioned the appointment, saying the country needs professionals at DNI rather than a “weaponized” office. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., called Pulte “a partisan thug with no experience in intelligence.”
Pulte entered government after becoming known as the grandson of PulteGroup’s founder and for social media philanthropy campaigns that distributed money online. At FHFA, he has also been involved in politically charged referrals, including alleged mortgage fraud claims involving New York Attorney General Letitia James and Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook. James and Cook have denied wrongdoing; the James indictment was dismissed after a judge found the U.S. attorney in the case had been invalidly appointed, and Cook has remained at the Fed while the Supreme Court weighs whether Trump can fire her.
Pulte’s arrival follows public tension between Trump and Gabbard, who is leaving the role June 30. Gabbard’s assessment that Iran was not building a nuclear weapon became a point of contention with Trump as his administration moved toward military action against Tehran.
The immediate question now is how far Pulte will move on staffing and restructuring before Trump names a permanent intelligence chief. Trump has said he has several interviews underway, but the acting appointment gives Pulte a central role in shaping the office before a Senate-confirmed nominee arrives.
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