(AFP) – President Donald Trump on Tuesday appointed a loyalist housing official with a history of targeting Trump’s enemies as the head of US intelligence, despite him having no national security experience. Bill Pulte, the chief of the Federal Housing Finance Agency, was named to replace Tulsi Gabbard, who said last month that she was stepping down to care for her cancer-stricken husband. Trump hailed Pulte in a social media post announcing the appointment, saying he “has deep experience managing the most sensitive matters in America, the safety and soundness of the Markets.”
The Director of National Intelligence (DNI), who heads the sprawling US intelligence community and serves as the president’s main advisor on intelligence issues, is legally required to have “extensive national security expertise.” But Pulte, the 38-year-old heir to a home-building fortune, has no such qualifications. Trump said that Pulte, who also leads mortgage giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, will continue to serve in his housing-related roles. US media have described Pulte as being the president’s “attack dog” for his aggressive approach. Pulte notably accused Democratic Senator Adam Schiff and New York Attorney General Letitia James of falsifying documents on mortgage applications.
The Wall Street Journal reported that, according to an internal complaint at Fannie Mae, Pulte had improperly accessed the mortgage records of James and other Democratic officials. Pulte has also championed a mortgage fraud case against US Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook, based on which Trump attempted to fire the monetary policy maker. That case is pending before the Supreme Court. Pulte has polarized many, even within Trump’s circle, with his aggressive and public political actions. In 2025, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent threatened to punch Pulte at a dinner at a private club, according to the Wall Street Journal and Politico.
US Democratic lawmakers took aim at Pulte, citing his lack of experience and warning he could use his intelligence role to further target Trump’s foes. “The president has chosen an official who has demonstrated not just willingness but eagerness to use the authorities of government to pursue political retribution,” said Mark Warner, the vice chair of the Senate Intelligence Committee. Top Democrat Chuck Schumer said on the Senate floor that someone who would file “baseless, political, and outrageous charges against political office holders he doesn’t like can’t be entrusted to protect our national security.”
But Trump’s circle came to Pulte’s defense. Vice President JD Vance described him in a social media post as a “great guy who recognizes that the bureaucracy of the intel community must respond to the elected leadership (rather than the other way around).” White House economic advisor Kevin Hassett told reporters Pulte was a “terrific guy” who was “trusted by the president.” Television doctor Mehmet Oz, the administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, declined to comment on Pulte’s qualifications during a briefing at the White House on Tuesday. “I do trust the president’s judgement,” he said.
Pulte’s predecessor Tulsi Gabbard was herself a controversial pick for the job. A conspiracy theorist accused by critics of buying into Kremlin narratives, she had appeared to be at odds with Trump over his war on Iran. Pulte could be even more divisive in the role, given his past history. He has fired internal ethics watchdogs who were investigating his own allies, characterizing those moves as a way to end diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) policies — which Trump has sought to purge from the US government — at Fannie Mae. On housing finance, he has championed the introduction of a 50-year mortgage in the United States, a proposal that has enraged many in the MAGA movement. Pulte has fallen out with his family over the future of their PulteGroup company and left its board in 2020.
© 2024 AFP
