Sen. Kevin Cramer mocked President Donald Trump’s choice of housing regulator Bill Pulte as acting Director of National Intelligence, calling it “a funny pick” and “an odd pick,” while Senate Majority Leader John Thune urged the country to have “professionals”
A Senate loyalist who backed Donald Trump early in 2016 didn’t hide his reaction as the administration put a housing regulator in one of the most sensitive intelligence jobs in the country.
During an appearance on CNBC’s Squawk Box, host Joe Kernen asked Sen. Kevin Cramer for his response to Bill Pulte replacing outgoing DNI Tulsi Gabbard. Cramer didn’t go soft.
“Well, I think it’s a funny pick, to say the least,” Cramer said. “Of course, here we are in the banking room where we actually deal with housing and urban affairs issues. It seems like a funny pick. It’s interim for now, I guess. We’ll see. But I think it is an odd pick.”
Cramer stopped short of a full break from the appointment, offering a comparison that made his criticism land harder. He said Gabbard herself had also been seen as unconventional when she was tapped for the role.
“But remember, he’s replacing Tulsi Gabbard, who was a Democrat not very long ago. And she and I were House members together and classmates, so we could have said that was a bit of a funny pick as well,” Cramer said.
Cramer and Gabbard entered the House together in 2013. Cramer later joined the Senate in 2019.
When Kernen pressed on how long Pulte could remain without Senate confirmation, Cramer acknowledged he wasn’t sure.
“That’s a good question. I don’t know. I was thinking about that just this morning. I’m not sure what the rules say about that or the law says about it — in the interim role is what I’m saying — before you have to get approval by the Senate through a confirmation process,” he said.
“A full confirmation of him would, I’d think in this environment, would be pretty unlikely — but I don’t know him well enough to know whether he has the credentials to do the job. But that’s a problem,” Cramer added.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune, asked whether he was concerned about Pulte using the office against the president’s political opponents, answered with a firm line of his own.
“We don’t need a weaponized DNI, we need professionals there,” Thune said.
Thune also pointed out that any permanent move would require Senate approval.
“If he’s somebody they want in that position permanently, he’s got, as you all know, a lengthy road ahead of him,” Thune said.
The appointment’s reception is tangled in a broader theme: Pulte’s critics argue the job is being handed to someone they say doesn’t have the traditional national security pathway, while supporters describe the pick as a message aimed at Congress and the intelligence bureaucracy.
Opponents zero in on experience. Sen. Mark Warner said Pulte has no military background, no experience handling national security matters in Congress, no diplomatic service and no law enforcement experience—credentials that Warner frames as typical for someone overseeing U.S. intelligence agencies.
Warner and other lawmakers have also pointed to Pulte’s conduct while leading the Federal Housing Finance Agency. Critics say Pulte used mortgage records to refer several prominent Trump critics—including New York Attorney General Letitia James, Rep. Eric Swalwell, Sen. Adam Schiff and Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook—to the Justice Department for potential prosecution.
For opponents, the logic is straightforward: they argue that a person accused of using government authority against political adversaries could now gain access to the nation’s most sensitive intelligence operations without what they view as the right professional background.
Republicans who support Pulte see a different story. Steve Bannon told Politico the move was “a middle finger to the Senate,” adding, “The White House staff hates him because they can’t control him.”
Sen. Jim Banks backed the appointment on X, writing that Pulte “will put the American people first” as acting intelligence director. Banks called him “a friend. ally and patriot who will fight to drain the Swamp of our intel community and keep America safe.” Banks also wrote. “While Democrats play politics with our national security. @pulte will put the American people first. He is a friend. ally. and patriot who will fight to drain the Swamp of our intel community. and keep America safe. I look forward to working with him as Acting Director of…”—a post dated June 3, 2026.
Sen. Tommy Tuberville also voiced support, saying he was “ALL FOR Bill Pulte as the Acting Director of National Intelligence.”
House Speaker Mike Johnson took a more careful tone when asked whether Pulte was qualified, saying, “The president obviously has the prerogative and the choice on who he appoints to these positions.” Johnson did not directly answer the qualification question.
Legally, Congress’s ability to rein in the appointment is limited in the short term. Bill Pulte can serve as acting Director of National Intelligence for up to 210 days while the Senate considers a permanent nominee.
Under the Federal Vacancies Reform Act of 1998, presidents can temporarily appoint officials who have already been confirmed by the Senate for another position.
Whether Congress has any practical mechanism to remove Pulte before that 210-day period expires remains unclear.
The statute creating the Office of the Director of National Intelligence states that anyone nominated for the position should possess “extensive national security expertise.” Critics argue Pulte does not meet that standard.
The Office of the Director of National Intelligence has also already been through major changes under Gabbard. Through the “ODNI 2.0” initiative launched in 2025. staffing was reduced or reassigned by roughly 40% and several offices and analytical functions were consolidated. Administration officials said the restructuring streamlined operations, while critics argued it weakened the agency’s institutional capacity.
With the clock running on the acting role and the question of qualifications still sharply contested. the only certainty right now is the divide: some lawmakers are skeptical the nation’s intelligence chief should come from housing regulation. while others frame Pulte as exactly the kind of outsider they think the intelligence community needs.
Bill Pulte acting Director of National Intelligence Kevin Cramer John Thune Tulsi Gabbard ODNI 2.0 Federal Vacancies Reform Act of 1998 Mark Warner Letitia James Eric Swalwell Adam Schiff Lisa Cook Jim Banks Tommy Tuberville Mike Johnson