“We look forward to working with Mr. Pulte and President Trump to continue that work and advance further initiatives aimed at rooting out deep state bad actors and securing saving for the American taxpayer,” the official said.
Trump’s comments offer some insight into his appointment of Pulte as acting director of the office—a move that incensed Democrats and confused members of Trump’s own Republican party. Pulte has no national intelligence experience and is currently the Director of the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA), a position he used to bring criminal referrals against Trump’s political adversaries, alleging mortgage fraud.
Members of Congress fear a politicized DNI
Some members of Congress have expressed worry over a similarly politically weaponized DNI.
“We don’t need a weaponized DNI, we need professionals there,” Senate Majority Leader John Thune, a Republican, told reporters on Tuesday. Democratic Sen. Mark Warner, meanwhile, called Pulte’s appointment evidence of Trump wanting “someone who will be willing to shape intelligence around the president’s wishes.”
