- President Donald Trump tapped Bill Pulte, who leads the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA), to serve as acting director of national intelligence.
- Tulsi Gabbard, Trump’s current DNI, announced last month that she would resign from the role effective June 30.
- Pulte, who has no prior experience in an intelligence role, will keep his existing titles as FHFA director and chairman of the mortgage groups Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.
- Bill Pulte, a former private equity CEO, will split time between Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, an important position for the country's national security.
- Trump touted Pulte's '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'.
- President Trump said Pulte will keep his other positions even as he fills in for Tulsi Gabbard, who resigned last month after revealing her husband’s cancer diagnosis.
- The Republican president cited Pulte’s work at the FHFA and his role as chair of the mortgage giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac as indicating that his real estate work would overlap with the skills needed to coordinate 18 federal agencies tasked with foreign and domestic security.
- President Donald Trump has tapped Bill Pulte, head of the Federal Housing Finance Agency, to be the acting director of national intelligence — putting a real estate scion and fierce Trump loyalist in a key national security post as the U.S. remains at war with Iran.
- Pulte has been a frequent guest on Air Force One as Trump has traveled to Mar-a-Lago, his home and club in Palm Beach, Florida.
- His time overseeing mortgage finance has been linked with criminal referrals for mortgage fraud by public officials Trump sought to punish, including New York Attorney General Letitia James, a Democrat; Sen. Adam Schiff, D-Calif.; and Lisa Cook, a board member of the Federal Reserve, who was nominated by a Democratic president, Joe Biden.
- The prosecution against James was dismissed in November after a judge concluded that the prosecutor who filed the charges was illegally appointed.
- Pulte told reporters at the White House several months ago that he had also made criminal referrals regarding at least one Republican official, but he declined to provide the name.
- He has famously gone after then-Fed Chair Jerome Powell for not cutting the central bank’s benchmark interest rates as aggressively as the president wanted.
President Donald Trump appointed Bill Pulte, the Federal Housing Finance Agency director, as acting director of national intelligence after Tulsi Gabbard's resignation on June 30.123468
Pulte, a former private equity CEO, has no prior experience in intelligence roles, yet he will manage both Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac and oversee a critical national security appointment.7
Trump stated, 'William has deep experience managing the most sensitive matters in America...', highlighting Pulte's responsibilities related to over £10 trillion at Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.5
Trump's decision places a fierce loyalist in a vital role amid ongoing U.S. conflict with Iran, leading to scrutiny over Pulte's qualifications for a task requiring coordination of 18 federal agencies.
His tenure at FHFA has seen him linked to controversial criminal referrals, including actions against New York Attorney General Letitia James and Senate Democrat Adam Schiff.1012
Reports indicate Pulte is using significant political ties, having frequently traveled on Air Force One with Trump, further entwining him in the administration's endeavors.9
Prior to his appointment, Gabbard cited personal reasons for her resignation following her husband's health diagnosis.
“Bill Pulte is appointed by Trump to fill the role of acting director of national intelligence, succeeding Tulsi Gabbard who announced her resignation effective June 30. Pulte, currently leading the Federal Housing Finance Agency, is known for having no prior intelligence experience.”
CNBC