politics
‘Americans will be less safe’: alarm as Trump picks loyalist as intelligence chief
Bill Pulte, who does not have any national intelligence experience, is nicknamed ‘Little Trump’ among some
TL;DR
- Bill Pulte, a loyalist with no national intelligence experience, has been appointed acting director of national intelligence by Donald Trump.
- Pulte previously led the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) with no prior government experience, where he was criticized for firing board members and appointing himself chair.
- He is nicknamed 'Little Trump' and gained access to the president through Mar-a-Lago membership and campaign donations.
- Senator Mark Warner (D-VA) stated that Trump chose an official eager to use government powers for political retribution, rather than a respected national security professional.
- Republican senators John Thune and Susan Collins, as well as James Lankford, expressed skepticism about Pulte's qualifications and the need for a neutral intelligence role.
- Pulte previously referred Federal Reserve governor Lisa Cook, New York AG Letitia James, and others for alleged mortgage fraud, with allegations deemed weak.
- Eric Swalwell (D-CA) warned that Pulte would politicize and weaponize the intelligence community, making Americans less safe.
- An investigation by the Government Accountability Office (GAO) was opened into Pulte in December.
- Senators Thom Tillis (R-NC) and John Cornyn (R-TX) also expressed concerns about Pulte's qualifications and past actions.