Bill Pulte has been acting Director of National Intelligence for less than a week, but a top Senate Republican says the Trump administration is already weighing a more permanent replacement—amid criticism from both sides over Pulte’s background and security cl
Bill Pulte has been acting Director of National Intelligence for less than a week—and on Capitol Hill, a top Republican already sounded like he was counting down the days.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune told reporters on Tuesday, June 9, that the Trump administration is weighing a more permanent pick for the DNI position. “I don’t think about replacing Pulte,” Thune said on Capitol Hill. “I think they’re weighing seriously making a long-term pick.”
Pulte’s sudden rise is part of a broader shake-up Trump has already set in motion. The president pulled Bill Pulte from his post at the Federal Housing Finance Agency just last week to replace Tulsi Gabbard. who stepped down from the position purportedly to support her husband while he fights cancer.
Trump sold the decision as a move toward experience, touting Pulte as someone with “deep experience managing the most sensitive matters in America.” Yet Pulte has no military or intelligence background.
In the DNI role, Pulte is set to oversee the CIA, NSA, FBI and other federal intelligence agencies. He is also expected to serve as an advisor to Trump and the National Security Council on foreign policy and national security.
For Republicans and Democrats alike, the unease has been immediate. Erick Erickson. a conservative radio host. called Pulte “one of the worst members of the president’s team” and said he has “convinced Trump to do more stupid stuff than anyone else in the past year.” Erickson also mocked the idea of Pulte’s daily routine. saying. “He’ll be driven to work in a very short bus each day.”.
Sen. Mark Warner, the vice chair of the Senate Intelligence Committee, agreed that the appointment is a bad signal. Warner wrote, “This appointment speaks volumes about what this president expects from the nation’s top intelligence official.”
Rather than describing the pick as a security-minded choice. Warner said the president has chosen someone who has “demonstrated not just willingness but eagerness to use the authorities of government to pursue political retribution.” He added that “Americans have already seen Mr. Pulte use the powers of his office at the Federal Housing Finance Agency to pursue the president’s grievances and lend credibility to dubious prosecutions of President Trump’s perceived political opponents.”.
Veteran GOP political operative Matt Mackowiak put it more bluntly: “This is indefensible.”
Thune’s Tuesday comments weren’t the first time he challenged Pulte’s placement. Last week, when asked whether Pulte might use the DNI role as a political weapon, Thune replied, “We don’t need a weaponized DNI. We need professionals there.”
Thune also said he was still trying to gauge where the White House stood. “If he’s somebody they want in that position permanently, he’s got — as you all know — a lengthy road ahead of him,” he said.
There’s another flashpoint beyond experience: security clearance. When President Donald Trump named Bill Pulte to lead the U.S. intelligence community. he had no security clearance and no prior vetting for security vulnerabilities—both described as basic prerequisites for the role. according to three CNN sources.
One insider said Pulte had gotten “none” when asked about prior vetting. adding that a background investigation request filed on Thursday. June 4. was the first step that had been taken. It is also unclear whether Pulte has agreed to take a polygraph. which is typically required for access to classified intelligence networks but not always mandatory for top appointees.
The pattern emerging from the competing descriptions of Pulte—praised by the president as deeply experienced, attacked by critics for what they see as politicized judgment—has now collided with Thune’s insistence that the White House is considering a longer-term replacement almost immediately.
For now, the administration’s direction remains the key unknown. Thune’s message on June 9 suggested that Pulte’s path may be shorter than the office’s weight would usually imply—an especially delicate reality for someone expected to oversee the CIA, NSA, FBI and other federal intelligence agencies.
Bill Pulte Director of National Intelligence John Thune Trump administration CIA NSA FBI Tulsi Gabbard security clearance polygraph Senate Intelligence Committee Mark Warner Federal Housing Finance Agency MISRYOUM