“has deep experience managing the most sensitive matters in America.”
Trump names William Pulte as acting director of national intelligence
President Donald Trump announced Tuesday that he is appointing Federal Housing Finance Agency director William Pulte to serve as acting director of national intelligence, replacing outgoing director Tulsi Gabbard. Trump defended the pick in a Truth Social post, saying Pulte, who he said “led many of the administration’s mortgage fraud efforts last year,” “has deep experience managing the most sensitive matters in America.”
William Pulte will retain FHFA and chairmanships while overseeing 18 agencies
Trump said Pulte would continue to hold his leadership positions at the Federal Housing Finance Agency and his chairmanships of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac while serving as acting director. The Director of National Intelligence supervises 18 intelligence agencies — a role that the announcement makes Pulte responsible for in addition to his housing-sector duties.
Pulte’s background and the limits of his experience
The administration’s choice is notable because, as the announcement and subsequent reporting make plain, Pulte has no experience working in the intelligence community. While he has led investigations at the Federal Housing Finance Agency — including probes into Federal Reserve Board Governor Lisa Cook and New York Attorney General Letitia James — the record cited by the reporting contains no prior national security or intelligence roles.
Swift criticism from national security figures and lawmakers
The announcement drew immediate pushback from former national security officials and members of Congress. A former senior national security official, speaking on the condition of anonymity, said: “I would think at a time when we are facing exceptional conflict in the Middle East and tensions around the world, we would want someone with deep experience in intelligence matters to serve as the acting director of the agency responsible for coordinating all of America’s spy agencies.” The same official added: “Moreover, it’s a full-time job, so I can’t see how someone could also serve in an important financial regulatory position at the same time. It makes you think this administration either doesn’t know or care — or both — about this office.”
Rep. Jim Himes, D-Conn., the ranking member of the House Intelligence Committee, said: “Despite a law requiring the Director of National Intelligence to have ‘extensive’ national security experience, the president’s choice for Acting DNI, Bill Pulte, has quite literally no relevant experience with intelligence or national security.” Himes continued: “His brief career in public service has shown only that he is willing to abuse his office to attack Donald Trump’s political enemies. That would be dangerous in any job, but in a position that requires sober, apolitical judgment based on intelligence, it is potentially catastrophic for national security.”
Sen. Mark Warner, D-Va., who serves in an equivalent role on the Senate Intelligence Committee, said: “This appointment speaks volumes about what this president expects from the nation's top intelligence official. Rather than selecting a respected national security professional capable of delivering independent judgments, the president has chosen an official who has demonstrated not just willingness but eagerness to use the authorities of government to pursue political retribution.”
How national security leaders, Congress, and housing regulators are responding
- National security leaders: Former officials expressed disbelief and emphasized that coordinating 18 agencies during “exceptional conflict” and global tensions calls for direct intelligence experience and full-time attention.
- Congress: House Intelligence Committee leadership voiced statutory concerns, citing a law that requires the DNI to have “extensive” national security experience and warning of risks to independent, apolitical judgment.
- Housing regulators and the FHFA: Pulte’s continued role at FHFA, combined with the chairmanships of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, raises questions about how he would split time between financial regulatory duties and managing the intelligence community — a logistical and institutional issue highlighted by critics.
Tulsi Gabbard announced last week that she intends to step down from the DNI post effective at the end of June, citing her husband’s recent cancer diagnosis. The announcement that Pulte will serve as acting director came as the office has reportedly undergone “major restructuring and downsizing over the past year,” a context cited by critics concerned about the capacity of ODNI to absorb leadership change.
Nextgov/FCW has asked the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, FHFA and Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac for comment, according to the reporting.
The appointment answers who will serve as acting DNI but leaves open how — practically and politically — a housing regulator with no intelligence-community experience will lead an office charged with coordinating 18 spy agencies during a period described by critics as marked by international tensions and recent organizational downsizing. Lawmakers and former officials have signaled they will press those questions in the coming days.
