Rubio never – Rep. Bill Keating unleashed a furious exchange with Secretary of State Marco Rubio during Rubio’s testimony before the House Foreign Affairs Committee, after Rubio said he’d never heard of acting National Intelligence Director Bill Pulte “in the context” of in
When Rep. Bill Keating sat through Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s testimony Wednesday morning, the moment that set him off was small in wording and enormous in tone. The question was direct: whether Rubio had ever heard of the newly-named acting National Intelligence Director, Bill Pulte.
Keating’s line of questioning came as Rubio testified before the House Foreign Affairs Committee. “With all your Intelligence Committee experience — and now as secretary of state and national security advisor — in all those years of experience. have you ever. specifically in the context of the intelligence community. heard the name Bill Pulte?” Keating asked.
Rubio answered just as plainly. “In the context of intelligence? No,” he said.
Keating reacted immediately, going ballistic at the response. “Never heard his name?! Okay, thank you for answering that — never even heard his name!” Rubio tried to speak again, but Keating kept on.
“Given all your years of experience and your position now — never heard the name. ” Keating yelped. the anger rising rather than cooling. The exchange wasn’t only about Rubio’s familiarity. Keating then slammed President Donald Trump for naming Pulte — who heads the Federal Housing Finance Agency — as the new intel boss on Tuesday. arguing the appointment was made despite what Keating described as “no experience” in the field.
Keating said Pulte’s “misuse — widely reported — of confidential information led to the prosecution of the president’s political enemies. ” and then attacked the decision as reckless. Keating called it “NOW the person in charge of the nation’s most closely-guarded intelligence. ” adding that. in his view. Pulte “couldn’t even conduct himself appropriately as a federal housing finance director.”.
The sniping spilled beyond that single answer. Rubio and Keating continued trading barbs, with Rubio telling Keating at one point to “try to stay under 5 minutes.” That moment landed about four minutes into Keating’s allotted time, and it visibly irked the liberal lawmaker.
“It’s not funny, secretary, it’s not funny!” Keating fired back.
Wednesday’s hearing came as Washington watched Rubio under pressure again after a rough day the day before. The previous day, Rubio had already been locked in a heated war of words with Sen. Cory Booker (D-NJ) after Booker accused Trump of “begging” Iran for a peace deal.
Rubio’s testimony has also faced disruption beyond partisan argument. A protester also stormed Rubio’s hearing and screamed the secretary was “supporting” Israel’s “genocide” in Gaza and Lebanon.
Keating’s time started at 10:24 a.m. and his outburst became the defining moment of the morning: first the stunned disbelief at “No” to the question of whether Rubio had heard Pulte’s name in the intelligence community. then the broader charge that Trump’s Tuesday move puts the nation’s intelligence leadership in the hands of someone Keating says lacks the background to do the job.
The sequence left little room for ambiguity. Rubio’s “never” was the spark, and Keating turned that answer into a sustained indictment of Trump’s decision to elevate Bill Pulte from leading the Federal Housing Finance Agency to acting National Intelligence Director.
Marco Rubio Bill Keating Bill Pulte acting National Intelligence Director House Foreign Affairs Committee Federal Housing Finance Agency Donald Trump intelligence community testimony Cory Booker Iran peace deal Gaza and Lebanon protest