President Trump says he will appoint Bill Pulte, the head of the Federal Housing Finance Agency, as acting director of national intelligence to replace Tulsi Gabbard. The move immediately drew sharp criticism from Democrats, who questioned Pulte’s intelligence
President Trump didn’t wait for the intelligence community to settle the question of who would follow Tulsi Gabbard. In a social media post on Tuesday. he said he was appointing Bill Pulte as acting director of national intelligence—an abrupt pivot that shifts the DNI job from the familiar world of national security into the orbit of mortgage and capital markets.
Pulte. currently the director of the Federal Housing Finance Agency. also serves as chairman of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. the two government-sponsored entities that support U.S. mortgage markets. The qualifications Trump listed for the role centered less on intelligence experience and more on market oversight and what he called Pulte’s command of sensitive matters: “deep experience managing the most sensitive matters in America. the safety and soundness of the Markets. and over 10 Trillion Dollars at Fannie Mae/Freddie Mac. ” adding that those holdings represent “a substantial increase from where it was just 12 months ago.”.
The friction for Democrats is immediate and personal, too. Pulte’s biography on the FHFA site lays out career experience in housing and philanthropy but includes none in intelligence—an absence that critics say matters for a post created in the wake of 9/11 to help U.S. intelligence agencies coordinate more effectively.
There is also a political record that Trump’s new job choice drags into focus. The DNI role requires coordinating across agencies. but Pulte has been described in the article as a reliable attack dog for the administration and as someone willing to go after the president’s perceived enemies. Last year, Pulte accused Federal Reserve Board of Governors member Lisa Cook of mortgage fraud. Cook—the first Black woman on the Federal Reserve’s board—denied wrongdoing. Trump then attempted to fire Cook from the board. The Supreme Court heard arguments in that case in January and has yet to rule.
Trump’s decision comes as Gabbard, the outgoing DNI, had already set the timeline for her own exit. Gabbard announced last month that she would resign from her role as DNI on June 30. In announcing that resignation. Trump cited Gabbard’s desire to be with her husband as he is treated for bone cancer.
Still, the appointment’s timing landed close enough to the transition to sharpen the political heat. Democrats, including Sen. Mark Warner—the top Democrat on the Senate Intelligence Committee—reacted quickly. Warner said Trump bypassed what he framed as a national-security professional capable of delivering independent judgments and instead chose “an official who has demonstrated not just willingness but eagerness to use the authorities of government to pursue political retribution.” He added that he fears Pulte “will be willing to shape intelligence around the president’s wishes. regardless of the cost to the American people.”.
The arrangement also underscores how crowded Trump’s early staffing continues to look. Pulte may be filling a major intelligence role, but he will not be alone in holding multiple positions. Secretary of State Marco Rubio is also currently the acting national security adviser. and in February of this year stepped down as acting archivist of the United States.
Trump Bill Pulte acting director of national intelligence Tulsi Gabbard Federal Housing Finance Agency Fannie Mae Freddie Mac Senate Intelligence Committee Mark Warner Lisa Cook Supreme Court mortgage fraud Federal Reserve