Bill Pulte, President Donald Trump’s pick to be the acting Director of National Intelligence (DNI), has officially started his new job — but he started a little early.
Pulte’s official start date was Friday, but sources told CNN he showed up at the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) on Thursday asking for a list of all employees. The sources said he’s looking to cut hundreds of jobs.
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His visit reportedly caught most staff off guard, including current DNI Tulsi Gabbard, who was told about the visit at the last minute, according to CNN. They said Pulte met with staffers and lawyers while there.
According to the report, Pulte had only one other briefing with ODNI last week before starting the job, during which he raised concerns by asking whether he could bring the President’s Daily Brief — a highly classified document — home. A source told CNN that Pulte also asked whether he had top-secret clearance and access to a government plane.
When Trump appointed Pulte to the job, he did not have the security clearance needed to access the highly classified information he’d be in charge of as DNI. Critics on both sides of the aisle have raised the red flag, saying Pulte’s appointment is a national security risk.
Is Pulte qualified for the job?
One of the biggest concerns critics have raised is Pulte’s lack of a known background in intelligence.
He’s served the Trump administration as the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) director since last year. Prior to that, he was a businessman and philanthropist who founded a housing firm one year out of college. He founded the investment firm Pulte Capital Partners LLC, which focuses on building and housing products, according to his biography on the FHFA website. He also served on the board of Pulte Homes, a Fortune 500 company and one of the largest homebuilders in the country.
There is no evidence that Pulte had any security clearance before being appointed acting DNI, nor does he have any links to the intelligence community.
‘It’s not permanent’
Trump has dismissed concerns over Pulte’s appointment.
“I wasn’t greatly experienced in national security, and I think I’ve done a really great job with it,” Trump told reporters earlier this month. “He’s very smart. He’s a person who’s got high integrity. He’s done a phenomenal job.”
He added, “It’s an acting position, it’s not a permanent – he’s not going to be permanent.”
On Wednesday, Trump canceled a Senate confirmation hearing for his permanent DNI nominee, Jay Clayton, and said Pulte will keep the job for the time being.
Trump blamed Democrats and several Senate Republicans, who blocked an extension of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) over Pulte’s appointment. He also said he doesn’t want Clayton to start his new job until his successor as U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York is confirmed.
Retribution concerns
Other critics are concerned Pulte will use his post as DNI to target Trump’s perceived political foes. They point to his probes into New York Attorney General Letitia James, former Democratic California Rep. Eric Swalwell and Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook over allegations of mortgage fraud.
“This appointment speaks volumes about what this president expects from the nation’s top intelligence official,” Senate Intelligence Committee Vice Chair Mark Warner, D-Va., said in a statement on June 2. “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.”
Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., echoed that sentiment.
“We don’t need a weaponized DNI. We need professionals there,” he told reporters earlier this month.
Democrats on the House Intelligence Committee have also called on Trump to rescind Pulte’s appointment to the role “due to his complete lack of national security, foreign policy or intelligence experience and track record of government abuse.”
Pulte can legally only serve 210 days in the post of acting DNI.
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