Senate Democrats Assail Trump's Bill Pulte DNI Pick, Warning 1 Appointment Risks Security
Updated
Updated · PBS NewsHour · Jun 2
Senate Democrats Assail Trump's Bill Pulte DNI Pick, Warning 1 Appointment Risks Security
3 articles · Updated · PBS NewsHour · Jun 2
Chuck Schumer on Tuesday blasted Donald Trump's move to install housing finance director Bill Pulte as acting director of national intelligence, calling him a partisan with no intelligence experience.
Mark Warner, the top Democrat on the Senate Intelligence Committee, said Pulte was chosen to deliver a political narrative rather than objective intelligence and warned the appointment could leave Americans vulnerable to a terrorist attack.
Jim Himes, the leading Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee, said Pulte should undergo a full security-clearance process before entering the DNI building.
The criticism centers on Trump's decision to place a housing official atop the intelligence community on an acting basis, sharpening Democratic claims that political loyalty is being prioritized over national-security expertise.