Reaction to President Trump’s surprise announcement that he was appointing Bill Pulte, the director of the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA), to serve as acting director of national intelligence was met with hostile response by Democrats and mostly negative feedback from Republicans and conservative influencers.
Pulte, who has no experience in the national security sector, will replace Tulsi Gabbard, who is stepping down on June 30. He will retain his roles at the FHFA and as chairman of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.
Pulte will hold Cabinet rank, and as an acting director he does not require Senate approval. But he is also time limited to 210 days in this role.
Predictably, Capitol Hill Democrats were not pleased. Sen. Mark Warner (D-VA), the Ranking Member of the Senate Intelligence Committee, stated that Pulte “appears to have been selected precisely because the White House believes he will provide the narrative it wants, not the intelligence we need.”
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) said, “Bill Pulte has already proven himself willing to act as a Trump puppet, which is why Trump wants to put him in charge of our nation’s intelligence. The Intelligence Community exists to protect the American people—not to serve as another instrument of presidential retribution.”
And Sen. Patty Murray (D-OR) went further, stating, “Bill Pulte is a proven crook who will target anyone Trump considers an enemy. He isn’t qualified for his current job, and he would pose an actual threat to our national security as Acting Director of National Intelligence. Every Senator should demand he be fired immediately.”
However, few Republicans on Capitol Hill have rushed forward to praise Pulte. Sen. Bernie Moreno (R-OH) went to X to call the selection “A great pick by President Trump!” and predicted that Pulte “will lead the DNI with integrity, cripple the deep state, and always prioritize America’s national security and the safety of our citizens!”
Several senators made brief comments to reporters on the selection. Sen. Ted Budd (R-NC) gave Pulte a backhanded compliment by asserting, “I probably would’ve considered at least first a lot of talented people that are very supportive of the president that would be a good fit. But congratulations to Mr. Pulte.”
MS Now reporter Ali Vitali reported that Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX) told him, “I see no evidence of any qualifications for that job.” And Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) warned, “We don’t need a weaponized DNI.”
Conservative influencers were split on the Pulte pick. High profile investor Grant Cardone and hedge fund executive Bill Ackman commended Pulte while Steve Bannon, a former advisor to President Trump, dubbed Pulte “a fighter” and insisted that Trump was “sending you a signal: Action. Action. Action.”
Yet Ned Ryun, founder and CEO of American Majority, skeptically wrote on X, “This Pulte as acting DNI doesn’t feel very serious TBH. But we’ll see. Maybe somehow it works out.”
And conservative radio talk show host Erick Erickson was less sanguine, stating, “Bill Pulte is one of the worst members of the President’s team and has convinced Trump to do more stupid stuff than anyone else in the past year. He’ll be driven to work in a very short bus each day.”
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