Bill Pulte, the Federal Housing Finance Agency director, became the acting director of national intelligence (DNI) on Friday, following a tug-of-war between Donald Trump and Washington lawmakers over the short-term future of the cabinet intelligence post.
Tulsi Gabbard, the outgoing DNI, initially planned to leave her post on 30 June, but Trump shortened her tenure to Friday. Senators planned to confirm Jay Clayton, the president’s DNI nominee, by Friday, which would have denied Pulte an opportunity to serve as acting director. But Trump abruptly called off on Wednesday a Senate confirmation hearing for Clayton and directed him not to appear in front of Senate lawmakers.
The delay leaves Pulte in an unconventional position to oversee the 18 US spy agencies as well as the country’s federal housing agency.
Pulte has no background in intelligence work, but has a demonstrated track record of supporting the president’s agenda. The Wall Street Journal reported last year that among some administration insiders, Pulte has learned the moniker “Little Trump” for his devotion to the president.
Senate Democrats have accused Pulte of overseeing politically motivated investigations into the White House’s political adversaries. Last year, Pulte referred several Democrats – all of them prominent Trump antagonists – for prosecution for mortgage fraud. They included Federal Reserve governor Lisa Cook, New York attorney general Letitia James, former California representative Eric Swalwell and California senator Adam Schiff. The allegations were widely seen as weak.
Individual mortgage information is supposed to be highly protected, and in December the Government Accountability Office opened an investigation into whether Pulte improperly accessed the financial information of Trump’s opponents.
“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 top Democrat on the Senate intelligence committee, Mark Warner of Virginia, said in a statement at the time. “Elevating him to oversee the intelligence community makes clear that this president is not looking for an intelligence leader who will follow the facts or speak truth to power, but rather someone who will be willing to shape intelligence around the president’s wishes, regardless of the cost to the American people.”
With Clayton’s nomination in limbo, Pulte could serve in the role at least long enough to advance some of Trump’s long-running election conspiracies. As DNI, Gabbard alarmed many on Capitol Hill when she inexplicably appeared at an FBI raid on an election facility in Fulton county, Georgia, and authorized the seizure of voting machines in Puerto Rico that conspiracists have alleged to be rigged by Venezuela’s previous president, Nicolás Maduro, and his deceased predecessor, Hugo Chávez.
It appears Trump has similar wishes for Pulte. “He’s a very smart guy,” Trump said shortly after nominating him, “and you may find out some things about the rigged elections, etc, etc.”
