Bill Pulte Takes Over 18 Spy Agencies as Trump Halts Jay Clayton DNI Hearing
Updated
Updated · The Guardian · Jun 19
Bill Pulte Takes Over 18 Spy Agencies as Trump Halts Jay Clayton DNI Hearing
3 articles · Updated · The Guardian · Jun 19
Summary
Bill Pulte became acting director of national intelligence on Friday after Donald Trump cut Tulsi Gabbard’s tenure short and canceled Jay Clayton’s Senate confirmation hearing.
The move leaves Pulte simultaneously overseeing the 18-agency U.S. intelligence community and the Federal Housing Finance Agency, despite having no intelligence background.
Trump’s allies value Pulte’s loyalty, but Democrats say he used his housing post to target political opponents; a GAO probe opened in December into whether he improperly accessed protected mortgage data.
Clayton’s nomination is now in limbo, giving Pulte at least a temporary opening to steer an office Trump has pressed to pursue claims about rigged elections.