Trump names Bill Pulte acting Director of National Intelligence, replacing Tulsi Gabbard

On June 2, 2026, President Donald Trump named William "Bill" Pulte — the director of the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) — as acting Director of National Intelligence, the Cabinet official who oversees the 18-agency U.S. intelligence community, including the CIA and NSA. Pulte succeeds Tulsi Gabbard, who recently announced she plans to resign from the role at the end of June. Announcing the move in a Truth Social post, Trump praised Pulte's "deep experience managing the most sensitive matters in America," citing his stewardship of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac rather than any intelligence credentials; Pulte has no background in intelligence work.

The director of national intelligence is normally subject to Senate confirmation, but naming Pulte in an acting capacity allows the administration to bypass that process. Pulte will keep his FHFA post and his chairmanship of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac while serving as acting DNI. In his housing-finance role, Pulte has repeatedly deployed federal authority against figures Trump perceives as adversaries — issuing criminal referrals against New York Attorney General Letitia James and Senator Adam Schiff, and leveling mortgage-fraud allegations against Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook — referrals that the targets have denied and that have largely stalled or been dropped.

Installing an unqualified partisan loyalist atop the intelligence community raises the concern captured by this abuse: that intelligence assessments will be shaped to fit the administration's political preferences rather than objective analysis. Senate Intelligence Committee Vice Chair Mark Warner warned the administration wants "the narrative it wants, not the intelligence we need," and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer called Pulte "a partisan thug with no experience in intelligence." Because the appointment is in an acting capacity, Pulte can serve for a period without facing Senate scrutiny.