{"id":141,"date":"2026-06-02T21:14:05","date_gmt":"2026-06-02T21:14:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/americanindustryreview.com\/?p=141"},"modified":"2026-06-02T21:14:05","modified_gmt":"2026-06-02T21:14:05","slug":"pulte-pick-raises-concerns-about-dni-independence","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/americanindustryreview.com\/?p=141","title":{"rendered":"Pulte pick raises concerns about DNI independence"},"content":{"rendered":"<div>\n<p>President Donald Trump\u2019s pick of Bill Pulte to be the acting director of national intelligence got mixed reviews Tuesday on Capitol Hill, as some worried that the Trump ally may seek to weaponize the agency.<\/p>\n<p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/americanindustryreview.com\/?p=139\">Executive order sets voluntary cyber reviews for advanced AI<\/a><\/p>\n<p>Pulte, the director of the Federal Housing Finance Agency and chairman of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, has been tapped by Trump to replace Director Tulsi Gabbard when she steps down from the role at the end of June.<\/p>\n<p>Pulte \u201chas 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, a substantial increase from where it was just 12 months ago,\u201d Trump posted to his social media platform,\u00a0Truth Social. He also said Pulte will remain in his other roles.<\/p>\n<p>Democrats raised concerns over Pulte\u2019s lack of intelligence experience as well as his past referrals of some of Trump\u2019s perceived foes to the Department of Justice for mortgage fraud allegations. The Government Accountability Office agreed to open an investigation into those actions in December, according to Senate Banking Committee ranking member Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass.<\/p>\n<p>Senate Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer, D-N.Y., said Tuesday, \u201cA guy who can file such baseless political and outrageous charges against political officer holders he doesn\u2019t like can\u2019t be entrusted to protect our national security.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe director of national intelligence is supposed to speak truth to power, but Donald Trump appears to have chosen Pulte because he speaks power\u2019s truth instead. Americans need an intelligence chief loyal to the facts, the intelligence, the security of the nation \u2014 not the political interests of one man,\u201d Schumer said in floor remarks.<\/p>\n<p>The ranking member of the Senate Intelligence Committee,\u00a0Mark Warner, D-Va., said in a statement, \u201cRather 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.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Last year, the Senate confirmed Pulte as director of the FHFA in a 56-43 vote, with three Democrats voting in favor.<\/p>\n<p>When asked about concerns over weaponization of the office, Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., said, \u201cWell, we don\u2019t need a weaponized DNI. We need professionals there.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/americanindustryreview.com\/?p=137\">DCCC kicks off rural engagement program in North Carolina<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u201cIf they nominate him to take the position permanently, he\u2019ll have to go through a confirmation process and hearings and everything else,\u201d Thune said, calling it a \u201clengthy road ahead of him.\u201d But the leader was unclear Tuesday morning about the administration\u2019s long-term plans for the role.<\/p>\n<p>If the administration nominates Pulte to the position permanently, senators may not have to vote on his confirmation until the next Congress. And that would be a sigh of relief for some, as it would begin on shaky ground with the current GOP majority.<\/p>\n<p>Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, who lost his recent primary runoff after Trump backed his opponent, told reporters Tuesday, \u201cI see no evidence of any qualifications [in Pulte] for that job. But I\u2019m willing to listen.\u201d Cornyn would be a key vote on the Intelligence panel.<\/p>\n<p>Under the Vacancies Act, Pulte could serve as acting director for 210 days without needing Senate confirmation once Gabbard steps down. If her departure takes effect on June 30, that timeline could allow the Trump administration to delay a confirmation fight in the Senate and potentially push it into the next Congress, as that would land in late January.<\/p>\n<p>If the administration nominates someone else for the position and that nomination is \u201crejected, withdrawn, or returned by the Senate,\u201d the Vacancies Act provides for an additional 210-day acting-service period. That similarly applies for a second nomination, potentially allowing Pulte to serve well beyond the initial period.<\/p>\n<p>Pulte\u2019s grandfather founded the PulteGroup\u00a0Inc., a prominent home construction company.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIf you\u2019re good at drywall, you must be good at national intelligence,\u201d Sen. Mark Kelly, D-Ariz., a member of the Intelligence Committee, quipped on Tuesday. \u201cI don\u2019t get it. This is an important job, you know. This is about the safety of all Americans.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/americanindustryreview.com\/?p=135\">Administration sticks with Congress on Medicaid work mandate exemptions<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>President Donald Trump\u2019s pick of Bill Pulte to be the acting director of national intelligence got mixed reviews Tuesday on Capitol Hill, as some worried that the Trump ally may seek to weaponize the agency. Pulte, the director of the Federal Housing Finance Agency and chairman of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, has been tapped [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":140,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-141","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-congress"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.6 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Pulte pick raises concerns about DNI independence - American Industry Review<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/americanindustryreview.com\/?p=141\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Pulte pick raises concerns about DNI independence - American Industry Review\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"President Donald Trump\u2019s pick of Bill Pulte to be the acting director of national intelligence got mixed reviews Tuesday on Capitol Hill, as some worried that the Trump ally may seek to weaponize the agency. 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