Trump Names Bill Pulte Acting Director of National Intelligence, Replacing Tulsi Gabbard

President Donald Trump on Tuesday named Bill Pulte, director of the Federal Housing Finance Agency and chairman of Fannie Mae/Freddie Mac, as acting director of national intelligence to replace Tulsi Gabbard.

Trump said in a social media post that Pulte has "deep experience managing the most sensitive matters in America, the safety and soundness of the Markets, and over 10 Trillion Dollars at Fannie Mae/Freddie Mac," and CNN reported the appointment is to take effect as the U.S. remains at war with Iran after peace talks stalled.

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NPR said the DNI role was created after 9/11 to help U.S. intelligence agencies better coordinate, and it noted Congress stipulated in 2004 that "any individual nominated for appointment as Director of National Intelligence shall have extensive national security expertise."

NBC News reported Pulte will oversee 18 government intelligence agencies, including the CIA and the National Security Agency, while also serving as FHFA director and chairman of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.

Outgoing DNI Tulsi Gabbard announced she would step down on June 30, and NPR said Trump cited her desire to be with her husband as he is being treated for bone cancer.

Democrats and some lawmakers condemned the choice, with Sen. Mark Warner saying in a statement that "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."

The Hill reported Senate Majority Leader John Thune said, "We don’t need a weaponized" director of national intelligence, and he added that if Pulte is nominated permanently he would face a confirmation process and hearings.

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CNN reported Pulte has been an attack dog against the Federal Reserve and Trump’s perceived political enemies, and it said he referred New York Attorney General Letitia James, Rep. Eric Swalwell, Sen. Adam Schiff and Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis to the Justice Department to investigate mortgage fraud.

NPR said Pulte last year accused Federal Reserve Board of Governors member Lisa Cook of mortgage fraud, and it reported Cook denied wrongdoing while the Supreme Court heard arguments in that case in January and has yet to rule.

In response to the DNI announcement, Schiff posted on X that Pulte "politicized and weaponized the housing agencies and will do the same in the intelligence community," according to the BBC.

The appointment raises questions about how intelligence authorities could be used, and CNN said the Government Accountability Office opened an investigation into Pulte over possible misuse of authority.

NBC News reported that as acting director, Pulte will be the president’s principal adviser on intelligence issues and will manage the daily intelligence briefing for the president, while overseeing the intelligence community.

BBC reported that acting officials may only serve 210 days before they must be confirmed by the Senate, meaning Pulte's posting will expire in late January 2027.

CNN said Tulsi Gabbard made at least one criminal referral while serving as DNI, seeking investigations of a whistleblower complaint and its handling by a watchdog that led to Trump’s 2019 impeachment, and it said that complaint turned into a far-reaching criminal investigation run out of the US attorney’s office in Miami.

The Hill said Sen. Susan Collins asked whether Pulte had any experience in the national intelligence community and replied, "I have no knowledge of this individual at all," while also noting she did not know whether he had an intel background before leading the FHFA.