President Donald Trump has appointed Bill Pulte, the 38-year-old head of the Federal Housing Finance Agency, as acting director of national intelligence (DNI) — the official who oversees America's 18 intelligence agencies and serves as the president's principal advisor on intelligence matters. The announcement, made Tuesday on Trump's Truth Social platform, replaces Tulsi Gabbard, who resigned in late May reportedly under pressure from the White House, amid apparent friction with Trump over his confrontation with Iran. Pulte, who will retain his existing roles overseeing Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac — the federally backed mortgage giants — has no known background in national security or intelligence.
The appointment has raised immediate legal questions. Under congressional statute, the DNI is required to possess "extensive national security expertise," a threshold Pulte does not appear to meet. Trump defended the choice by pointing to Pulte's financial oversight credentials, writing that he has "deep experience managing the most sensitive matters in America, the safety and soundness of the markets and over $10 trillion at Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac." According to the news site Semafor, the appointment was pushed in part by Roger Stone — a longtime Trump ally who was convicted in 2019 on charges of obstruction, false statements, and witness tampering related to a congressional investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election, and who received a full pardon from Trump.
Pulte has become known in Washington as a vocal attacker of Trump's political opponents. He has publicly accused Democratic Senator Adam Schiff and New York Attorney General Letitia James of falsifying mortgage application documents. The Wall Street Journal reported that Pulte allegedly accessed the mortgage records of James and other Democratic officials without authorisation, according to an internal complaint at Fannie Mae. He also championed a mortgage fraud case against Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook, which Trump used as justification for an attempt to fire her — a case still pending before the Supreme Court.
The reaction on Capitol Hill was broadly critical, and notably crossed party lines. Democratic Senator Chris Coons said appointing someone "whose only qualification is his demonstrated willingness to help President Trump pursue his political enemies is risky for the American people." Senate Democratic Minority Leader Chuck Schumer argued that someone who makes "political and absurd charges" against those in positions he dislikes "cannot be trusted to protect our national security." Democratic Senator Mark Warner, the vice chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, suggested Pulte was chosen because "the White House believes he will deliver the narrative they want, not the intelligence we need." Even John Thune, the Republican majority leader in the Senate, expressed reservations, telling reporters: "We don't need a weaponised DNI. We need professionals there." Fellow Republican Senator John Cornyn was more blunt, saying he saw "no evidence of any qualifications for that job."
The selection is the latest in a series of appointments that has placed personal loyalty to the president above conventional professional credentials in senior national security roles. Vice President JD Vance pushed back against the criticism, describing Pulte as "a terrific person" who understands that the intelligence community's bureaucracy "should be responsive to elected leadership." Because the appointment is on an acting basis, it does not require Senate confirmation — bypassing the scrutiny that Gabbard herself faced when she was confirmed for the role.