Trump doubles down on major decision to appoint Bill Pulte as acting intelligence chief

Donald Trump is proceeding with his controversial plan to install political loyalist Bill Pulte as acting director of national intelligence, marking a major move that has triggered bipartisan pushback and jeopardized the reauthorization of a national security law set to expire at the end of this week.

This announcement comes after he met with House speaker, Mike Johnson to discuss Pulte’s appointment which has provoked widespread apprehension and the prospect that he could use the office’s spying powers to target Trump’s political allies.

Trump clarified that Pulte was already working with Director Tulsi Gabbard and will take her position on 19 June.

According to the House Democratic leader, Hakeem Jeffries: “Bill Pulte is deeply unqualified to serve as acting director of national intelligence and is deeply dangerous,” Jeffries told PBS NewsHour.

“He’s got no national security experience, no military experience and no law-enforcement experience. In fact, the statute explicitly requires that any person occupying this position of great sensitivity have national security experience in their professional background. Bill Pulte has zero of that.”

“He’s also someone who has clearly demonstrated a willingness to weaponize the federal government against Donald Trump’s perceived adversaries,” Jeffries, who could be the speaker of the House next year, said. “So, under no circumstances should we trust the privacy interests or national security interests of the American people with Bill Pulte on top of Donald Trump and Kash Patel.”

Serving as a federal mortgage agency, Pulte has allegedly used access to confidential financial data to accuse public officials including the Democratic New York attorney general Letitia James, Lisa Cook, and Joe Biden nominated Fed members.