President Donald Trump has tapped William Pulte, head of the Federal Housing Finance Agency, to serve as acting Director of National Intelligence (DNI).
Trump made the surprise announcement on social media Tuesday, saying Pulte will keep his other positions while he fills in for outgoing DNI Tulsi Gabbard.
Trump suggested Pulte’s real estate work would overlap with the skills needed to coordinate 18 federal agencies tasked with aspects of foreign and domestic security.
"William has 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," Trump
wrote Tuesday on Truth Social. "During this period, he will remain Director of the Federal Housing Finance Agency, and Chairman of Fannie Mae/Freddie Mac."
Pulte, 38, is the grandson of the founder of PulteGroup, one of the country’s largest homebuilders. Pulte has been a frequent guest on Air Force One, often traveling with Trump to his Mar-a-Lago residence in Palm Beach, Florida.
It’s unclear what national security expertise Pulte brings to the role.
Trump’s decision to tap him for the position immediately sparked criticism over his lack of experience in intelligence.
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) said Pulte isn’t fit for the role.
“He is another unqualified Trump appointee that will make our country less safe, Schumer
wrote on X. “And you won’t hear a word from the Republicans who claim to care about national security.”
Pulte’s time overseeing
mortgage finance has been associated with criminal referrals over mortgage fraud allegations by public officials Trump has sought to punish, including New York Attorney General Letitia James.
Democrat lawmakers suggested that Pulte was tapped for the interim role only due to his willingness to satisfy Trump’s requests.
“The concern is not only that Mr. Pulte lacks the ‘extensive national security experience’ required by statute for the job, which was created after intelligence failures led to the deaths of thousands of Americans on 9/11,” Sen. Mark Warner (D-Va.) said in a
statement. “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.”
Gabbard announced last month she would resign from the role effective June 30, citing her husband's cancer diagnosis.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
