Trump Names Bill Pulte Acting DNI, Reviving Debate Over 18-Agency Intelligence Post
Updated
Updated · The New York Times · Jun 19
Trump Names Bill Pulte Acting DNI, Reviving Debate Over 18-Agency Intelligence Post
3 articles · Updated · The New York Times · Jun 19
Summary
Bill Pulte’s appointment as acting director of national intelligence has reignited questions over whether the DNI job should still exist, given his lack of national security experience.
The office was created after 2 major intelligence failures — the Sept. 11 attacks and the false Iraq weapons assessment — to coordinate information across agencies independent of any single spy service.
Today the DNI oversees 18 intelligence agencies, including the CIA, FBI and NSA, but critics say the post has grown too large and inefficient over the past 20 years.
Supporters argue those coordinating functions remain essential, even as Trump’s move to replace Tulsi Gabbard — who is stepping down after her husband’s cancer diagnosis — sharpens scrutiny of the role.