President Trump appoints Bill Pruitt as Director of National Intelligence
President Donald Trump has nominated Bill Pruitt, the head of the Federal Housing Finance Agency, to be his new acting director of national intelligence.
WASHINGTON – President Donald Trump’s decision to make federal housing regulator Bill Pruitt his acting director of national intelligence has raised alarm among Democrats and some Republicans who say a 38-year-old with no known intelligence background overseeing 18 domestic spy agencies poses a threat to U.S. national security.
Pruitt has used his power as head of the Federal Housing Finance Agency to go after President Trump’s political targets, and Democrats fear he will use this much more powerful position to do the same on a larger, more sensitive scale.
In a June 10 letter, Democratic members of the House Intelligence Committee asked President Trump to revoke Pruitt’s appointment “due to his complete lack of national security, foreign policy, and intelligence experience, and his track record of government abuse.”
The grandson of a home construction magnate is scheduled to take over as acting DNI on June 19, replacing Tulsi Gabbard, who will retain his home construction post.
President Trump praised Pruitt as “very wise” and experienced in handling “sensitive issues” involving financial markets. He acknowledged that Pruitt oversees $10 trillion in assets and mortgages at federal mortgage lenders Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, and defended the idea that national security experience is not necessary.
President Trump said on June 5, “I didn’t have a lot of experience in national security, but I think I did a really great job on national security, and I think a lot of people would say that.”
But Democrats said the role needed someone with a deep background in intelligence issues and managing the institutions that protect Americans from everything from deadly drugs and terrorists at home to wars abroad and adversary efforts to interfere in U.S. elections.
Sen. Mark Warner (Virginia), vice chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee and the top Democrat, said in a June 2 statement that his “concern is not only that Mr. Pulte lacks the “extensive national security experience” required by the mandate statute, enacted in response to the 9/11 intelligence failure that left thousands of Americans dead.” “He seems to have been chosen precisely because the White House believes he will give us the story they want, not the information we need.”
Even some Republicans have publicly questioned this choice, including Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-South Dakota), who has said there is no need for an “armed” Director of National Intelligence.
“We need experts here,” Thun said.
Asked about opposition to Mr. Pruitt, White House press secretary Davis Engle did not address concerns about his qualifications. But he told USA TODAY that Trump is “picking the best and most talented people for his Cabinet. … Bill Pruitt is a great pick and will do a great job representing the American people.”
What does the DNI do?
The position of Director of National Intelligence was created after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, which exposed gaping holes in the way many U.S. intelligence agencies share information and work with each other to counter a wide range of evolving threats. The law requires that the head of the organization be appointed by someone with “extensive experience in national security.”
In addition to overseeing and coordinating the CIA, National Security Agency, FBI, and other military and civilian intelligence agencies, the Director also serves as chief advisor to the President, the National Security Council, and national security affairs.
By appointing Mr. Pruitt as acting director, President Trump could avoid requirements for a new intelligence director and Mr. Pruitt would not have to go through the Senate confirmation process. Gabbard, a former congresswoman from Hawaii, won Senate confirmation on February 12, 2025, after a grueling confirmation process that saw her criticized for her history of supporting pro-Russian causes. All Senate Democrats and Republican Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) opposed her.
Gabbard announced on May 22 that she would step down from her role on June 30 to support her husband, who was diagnosed with an aggressive form of cancer.
President Trump recently announced in a post on Truth Social on June 9th that he wanted Pulte to start 11 days earlier, although he did not provide details. Then, on June 10, he said in another post that he had asked Mr. Pulte to “immediately implement the necessary downsizing of offices and return staff to their home base” while seeking a permanent director “with national security experience.”
Fear of election interference
Mr. Warner said he was particularly concerned that Mr. Prut’s willingness to use federal power against Mr. Trump’s political opponents could lead to intelligence, surveillance, and the weaponization of election-related information.
Gabbard has used her position as DNI to support Trump’s false claims that the 2020 election he lost to former President Joe Biden was stolen through fraud.
Gabbard took part in a controversial FBI raid at the Fulton County Election Hub and Operations Center near Atlanta on January 28 as part of an investigation related to the 2020 presidential election. She also created a “weaponization task force” to attack past intelligence agency investigations, including the investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election.
“My concern for a long time is that the Trump administration or people within it will try to manipulate the election this fall,” Warner told MS NOW in a June 2 article. “If I was worried about Tulsi Gabbard, Bill Pelt has increased that concern tenfold.”
On June 4, the same day he claimed without evidence that Democrats were fraudulent in the California primary, President Trump suggested that Ms. Pelt would double down on the efforts started by Ms. Gabbard. President Trump praised Pruitt’s “energy” and said, “He could be very effective in the short term.”
Generally, acting officials can serve for up to 210 days from the date of the vacancy, meaning Mr. Pulte could serve well past the Nov. 3 midterm elections.
“He’s a very smart guy and he might learn something about election fraud,” Trump said, later suggesting he expected Pruitt to deliver results.
Democrats on the House Intelligence Committee advised in a June 10 letter that if Mr. Trump were to proceed with negotiations with Mr. Pulte, he would have to go through a full security process, including an investigation into his assets and foreign contacts, as well as “a polygraph test and other appropriate measures to protect national security.”
Factors complicating important spy privilege updates
Democrats argue that putting Mr. Prut in a leadership role in the intelligence community will make it difficult to renew the controversial law governing the United States’ warrantless spying powers, which expires on June 12.
Some, like Rep. Jim Himes (D-Conn.), the top Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee, have said they would even be willing to give them significant spying powers. Also known as Section 702 If violating the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act means allowing Pulte to become the DNI, then shut up. They say Pruitt has already used his work at the housing agency as a weapon, suing Federal Reserve President Lisa Cook and criminally indicting Sen. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) and New York Attorney General Letitia James on mortgage fraud charges.
All three deny wrongdoing.
“The president needs to calm down and realize that this is probably the worst and most dangerous appointment he’s ever made,” Himes said on CBS’ “Face the Nation.” “He doesn’t like to back down, but he also doesn’t like terrorist attacks that might happen at the same time.”
Warner likened Trump’s nomination of Pulte to throwing a “live grenade” into delicate negotiations on Capitol Hill, but Trump has so far remained steadfast.
“Holding FISA hostage puts our national security at risk, and it’s shameful that some Democrats are threatening to put partisan politics ahead of the safety of the American people,” White House Press Secretary Ingle said in a statement.
