In concept, Bill Pulte’s time as acting director of national intelligence should be coming to an end following last night’s US Senate confirmation of Jay Clayton to fill the vacant directorship. However, Pulte – who also serves as director of the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) and chairman of both Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac – is reportedly unwilling to hand over the reins to Clayton.
According to a Politico report sourced from an unnamed “White House official,” Pulte is lobbying President Trump “to delay Clayton’s swearing-in, or at least trying to stay in the job longer.” Pulte has taken to social media to highlight his work as interim director – which included declassifying material and orchestrating widescale layoffs — to show he is in the midst of carrying out Trump’s instructions.
“He’s doing things nobody else will do, and that’s why he needs to stay in the job longer,” the official said of Pulte’s pitch.
However, the unnamed official added people within the administration “definitely do not want” Pulte to continue this interim work. For his part, Pulte conspicuously avoided offering public congratulations to Clayton on his Senate confirmation, nor did he make any statements about wrapping up his interim job to resume his focus on the FHFA and the government-sponsored enterprises.
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