President Trump appointed Bill Pulte, director of the Federal Housing Finance Agency, as acting Director of National Intelligence despite having no known intelligence background. Pulte will oversee the nation’s 18 intelligence agencies while continuing to run the FHFA, which regulates mortgage giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.
The appointment follows Tulsi Gabbard’s departure from the DNI role on June 30. Pulte, part of a prominent homebuilding family and private equity financier, has been accused of weaponizing his housing role to target Trump’s political opponents through dubious criminal referrals for alleged mortgage fraud.
$10 trillion
Value of assets at Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac that Pulte oversees at FHFA
Working with Ed Martin, former head of the Trump DOJ’s “weaponization” task force, Pulte has spurred investigations of Democratic lawmakers including Sen. Adam Schiff, former Rep. Eric Swalwell, and Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook. He also pursued an indictment of New York Attorney General Letitia James.
Trump praised Pulte’s management of “the most sensitive matters in America” and the “safety and soundness of the Markets” in his social media announcement. Democrats immediately condemned the decision, noting Pulte’s lack of intelligence qualifications.
The DNI position coordinates intelligence sharing among agencies including the CIA, FBI, and NSA. Gabbard used the role to declassify documents supporting Trump’s political grievances and pursue investigations of Obama-era officials.
What you can do now
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Call your senators at (202) 224-3121 and demand they reject Pulte’s nomination if it comes up for confirmation. Tell them the DNI requires intelligence experience, not housing expertise.
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Contact the Senate Intelligence Committee and urge them to hold hearings on Pulte’s qualifications. Committee members include Marco Rubio (Chair) and Mark Warner (Vice Chair).
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Ask your representative to investigate Pulte’s use of FHFA for political purposes. The House Oversight Committee has jurisdiction over federal agency abuse.
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Track intelligence oversight by following the Senate Intelligence Committee’s work at intelligence.senate.gov. They oversee DNI activities and can demand accountability.
Update, June 2, 2026: On June 2, 2026, President Trump named Bill Pulte, director of the Federal Housing Finance Agency and chairman of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, as acting Director of National Intelligence, replacing Tulsi Gabbard. Pulte, 38, has no intelligence background, and federal statute requires any DNI appointee to have “extensive national security expertise.” Trump announced on Truth Social that Pulte would retain his FHFA post while overseeing the country’s 18 intelligence agencies.
The appointment drew criticism from both parties on Capitol Hill. Senate Majority Leader John Thune told reporters, “We don’t need a weaponized DNI. We need professionals there,” and Senator John Cornyn (R-TX) said he saw “no evidence of any qualifications for that job.” When White House correspondents asked CMS Administrator Mehmet Oz about Pulte’s credentials at the press briefing, he declined to answer, calling the question “out of my lane.”
The Government Accountability Office is separately investigating whether Pulte misused FHFA resources to pursue political targets, including pushing an indictment of New York Attorney General Letitia James that later collapsed. Senators Ron Wyden and Elizabeth Warren wrote to Pulte last month questioning a $65,000 donation from his foundation to what Mother Jones found to be a nonexistent charity, with the funds traced to a Wyoming LLC connected to a law firm that represented Trump in post-January 6 litigation.
Primary Sources
BBC: Trump Taps Housing Official Bill Pulte to be US Spymaster Mother Jones: Bill Pulte Lacks Intelligence Qualifications for DNI Job