“We don't need a weaponized DNI, we need professionals there.
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Trump Names Housing Official Bill Pulte as Acting DNI, Replacing Tulsi Gabbard
June 2, 2026
President Trump on June 2, 2026 appointed Bill Pulte — head of the Federal Housing Finance Agency and known for using his government access to refer Trump opponents for prosecution — as acting Director of National Intelligence, replacing Tulsi Gabbard who resigned citing her husband's cancer diagnosis. Pulte has no intelligence or military background and will simultaneously hold his FHFA post overseeing Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. The appointment drew rare bipartisan criticism: Senate Majority Leader Thune warned against a "weaponized DNI," Mitch McConnell cited the statutory requirement for "extensive national security experience," and Democrats called it a dangerous politicization of the intelligence community ahead of the 2026 midterms.
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“Any person tapped to serve as director of national intelligence must have extensive national security experience.
“A partisan thug with no experience in intelligence. He is another unqualified Trump appointee that will make our country less safe. And you won't hear a word from the Republicans who claim to care about national security.
“By any objective assessment — in terms of experience, expertise, background — this appointment makes no sense.
“I don't see any evidence of his qualifications for that job, but I'm willing to listen.
“The concern is not only that Mr. Pulte lacks the 'extensive national security experience' required by statute for the job — it is that he appears to have been selected precisely because the White House believes he will provide the narrative it wants, not the intelligence we need.
“I don't even know whether Pulte has any intelligence or military background, or even whether he has a security clearance.