Bill Pulte, a real estate executive with no background in national intelligence, is set to become acting director of national intelligence after Donald Trump's appointment, triggering swift backlash from Democratic lawmakers who say the move prioritizes loyalty over expertise.
Pulte made his name as head of the Federal Housing Finance Agency, where he oversees the government-backed lenders Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. Before that assignment, he had no government experience of any kind. His path to Trump's inner circle ran through Mar-a-Lago membership and substantial campaign donations.
Inside Trump's orbit, Pulte earned the nickname "Little Trump" for his fierce devotion to the president. But colleagues have expressed concern about his methods. White House officials at Trump's Virginia golf club reportedly instructed staff not to leave Pulte alone with the president, according to reporting by the Wall Street Journal. He is known for pitching ideas directly to Trump without adequate vetting, sometimes with proposals so unconventional they alarmed even his allies.
At the Federal Housing Finance Agency, Pulte's tenure became marked by aggressive personnel moves and controversial actions. He removed ethics officials from Fannie Mae who were investigating whether he had improperly accessed mortgage information, which is normally highly protected. He also fired large portions of the boards at both major lenders and appointed himself as chair.
Pulte made headlines last year when he referred Federal Reserve governor Lisa Cook, New York Attorney General Letitia James, former California congressman Eric Swalwell, and California Senator Adam Schiff for mortgage fraud. Legal experts dismissed the allegations as weak. He separately pushed federal prosecutors in Virginia to indict James and encouraged Trump to remove a career prosecutor who refused to bring charges. Trump later appointed a loyalist to the position who secured an indictment against James, though a judge later threw out the case after ruling the prosecutor had been unlawfully appointed.
The Government Accountability Office opened an investigation into Pulte in December over his conduct at the housing agencies.
Senator Mark Warner of Virginia, the top Democrat on the intelligence committee, warned that Trump has chosen an official willing to weaponize government power for political purposes rather than a seasoned national security professional. "Elevating him to oversee the Intelligence Community makes clear that this president is not looking for an intelligence leader who will follow the facts or speak truth to power," Warner said in a statement.
California Senator Adam Schiff was more direct, posting on X that Pulte "politicized and weaponized the housing agencies and will do the same in the intelligence community. And Americans will be less safe as a result."
Author James Rodriguez: "Putting someone with no spy experience and a track record of targeting Trump's enemies in charge of the entire intelligence apparatus isn't just tone deaf, it's alarming."
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