President Trump is standing firm on his choice of Bill Pulte to serve as acting director of national intelligence, even as the move threatens a bipartisan deal to renew a major surveillance program that expires this week.
Trump announced on Tuesday, June 9, that Pulte will start in the role on June 19, more than a week earlier than planned.
Outgoing Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard had been expected to stay until the end of the month.
Trump Stands Firm on Pulte Intelligence Appointment
Pulte, who runs the Federal Housing Finance Agency, will keep that job while temporarily taking on the intelligence post.
Trump has made it clear he does not plan to nominate Pulte as permanent director, a move that would require Senate confirmation.
The decision by Trump to settle on Pulte sparked sharp pushback from Democrats and even quiet grumbling among some Republicans.
They pointed to Pulte’s lack of any national security or intelligence experience.
As a housing regulator, he has drawn fire for accusing Trump’s political opponents of mortgage fraud, raising fresh questions about his judgment in a sensitive national security job.
Section 702 Surveillance Authority Near Expiration
Congress is racing to extend Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act before it lapses on Friday.
The program lets the government collect communications of non-U.S. citizens overseas without a warrant, and national security officials say it is critical for stopping terrorist plots, espionage, drug trafficking, and cyberattacks.
Democrats say they will not support reauthorization as long as Pulte remains in the intelligence post.
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer blasted the appointment last week, accusing Pulte of abusing his housing agency role to target Trump’s enemies. “The timing of this announcement could not be worse,” Schumer said.
Even some Republicans are uneasy, with the likes of Senators John Cornyn, Bill Cassidy, and Thom Tillis having voiced concerns.
Also Read: Why Trump Wants Acting Intel Chief Bill Pulte to Fire Intelligence Community Employees
When asked on Monday if Trump should pull the nomination, Cornyn replied that getting 702 renewed “sounds like the price that they’re going to demand.”
Lawmakers from both parties had been closing in on a compromise. The House passed a version with some new privacy protections in late April, including support from dozens of Democrats.
But the Senate stalled over an unrelated fight about digital currency. Now the Pulte appointment has thrown everything off track.
Last week, the Senate voted down a move to advance the extension, with seven Republicans joining nearly all Democrats in opposition.
Democrats Warn of National Security Risks
Rep. Jim Himes, the top Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee, said Democratic support in the House is also crumbling.
On “Face the Nation,” he called Pulte’s appointment “probably the worst and most dangerous” in a string of controversial picks.
“He doesn’t like to back down,” Himes said of Trump, “but he’s also not going to like the terrorist attacks that might happen if there is no 702 collection authority.”
In a letter over the weekend, the Republican chairs of the Senate Intelligence and Judiciary committees told Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who also serves as national security adviser, to start preparing for the possible loss of authority to collect intelligence on certain foreign targets.
They said Democrats appeared to be walking away from a three-year extension agreement.
Also Read: Republicans Reject Trump’s Appointment of 38-Year-Old Bill Pulte as Acting DNI
Senate Majority Leader John Thune called the Democratic stance “incredibly irresponsible” but urged the White House to name a permanent intelligence director soon.
House Speaker Mike Johnson, after meeting with Trump at the White House on Tuesday, said the president is “very close” to picking someone full-time. Johnson accused Democrats of playing politics with national security.
“This was working well until just a few days ago, when the Democrats decided they don’t want to reauthorize FISA because the president announced an interim appointment,” Johnson said.
Amid growing pressure on the White House, Trump is showing no sign of reversing course on Pulte.
Congressional leaders from both parties are now facing the real possibility that one of the government’s most valuable intelligence tools could go dark, at least temporarily, because of a fight over a housing regulator turned acting spy chief.
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