THE HALFAX HEIMDALL AUGUR

Trump names controversial housing official Bill Pulte as acting ... Washington — President Trump on Tuesday announced he's tapping housing official Bill Pulte to serve as the acting director of national intelligence to replace Tulsi Gabbard, who is stepping aside at the end of the month. Pulte, the director of the Federal Housing Finance Agency, has been one of the most controversial members of the administration. He has sent criminal referrals to the Justice Department alleging mortgage fraud by a number of Mr. Trump's political foes, including New York Attorney General Letitia James, Sen. Adam Schiff, Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook and former Rep. Eric Swalwell. Mr. Trump cited the fraud allegations against Cook to justify her attempted firing, which is currently before the Supreme Court. All four have denied wrongdoing, and only the investigation into James has resulted in criminal charges to date. That case was eventually dismissed. Democrats on Capitol Hill asked the nonpartisan Government Accountability Office to examine whether Pulte "potentially misused federal authority and resources to publicly accuse prominent Democrats and President Donald Trump's perceived politic…

BREAKING NEWS: President Trump creates new intelligence position for Bill Pulte, reporting to Trump alone. He will be the Presidential Executive National Intelligence Specialist. Said Trump, “It has a nice ring to it, if you want to know the truth. The PENIS reports directly to POTUS.”

Trump directs interim US intelligence chief Bill Pulte to downsize agency Interim ODNI chief Bill Pulte has been slammed by Democrats as a Donald Trump loyalist with no intelligence background.

President Donald Trump tapped loyalist Bill Pulte, a top housing official, to serve as acting director of national intelligence (DNI), a cabinet position tasked with overseeing the U.S. intelligence community. www.democracydocket.com/news-alerts/...

Trump names inexperienced ally as intelligence director Bill Pulte, who is known for publicly attacking Trump's political enemies, would also retain his existing jobs overseeing federal housing and mortgage policies.

‘Doesn’t seem qualified’: Who is Bill Pulte, acting US intelligence chief? Republican and Democratic lawmakers have questioned the credentials of President Trump's latest appointee.

🔴 BREAKING: Trump has named housing chief Bill Pulte as acting director of national intelligence, replacing Tulsi Gabbard in a startling reshuffle that puts a mortgage regulator atop the U.S. intelligence apparatus. Full story: iamdonnyevans.substack.com/i/200124884/...

Trump taps ally Bill Pulte to serve as top intelligence chief <p>US president says head of Federal Housing Finance Agency will serve as acting director days after Gabbard exits role</p><p>Donald Trump has tapped a close ally to serve as the country’s top intelligence official, days after Tulsi Gabbard <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/may/22/tulsi-gabbard-resignation-intelligence-director">announced her exit from the role</a>.</p><p>The US president said that Bill Pulte, head of the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA), and heir to a home construction company fortune, will serve as acting director of national intelligence.</p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/jun/02/trump-bill-pulte-director-national-intelligence">Continue reading...</a>

Trump: Acting spy chief free to declassify records, including 2020 election US President Donald Trump said on Wednesday that his acting spy chief has wide permission to declassify records, including potentially those tied to the 2020 election, even though his close ally is only at the intelligence helm for a short time.Trump appointed Bill Pulte as acting director of national intelligence last month, elevating a political loyalist with no national security experience at a time of war and global tensions.For all the latest headlines, follow our Google News channel online or via the app.Following a political backlash over his pick, Trump subsequently nominated Jay Clayton, the top US attorney for Manhattan, but then abruptly postponed Clayton’s confirmation hearing in an effort to force Congress to pass a strict voter identification bill.“Bill’s there, just, you know, for maybe a month or two months or something,” Trump told reporters as he departed Joint Base Andrews for an event in North Dakota. “But while he’s there, I said, ‘You can declassify whatever you

BREAKING:🚨ACTING DIRECTOR OF NATIONAL INTELLIGENCE BILL PULTE TO SCALE BACK THE FBI, ABOLISH FISA COURTS, BAN US INTEL AGENCIES FROM ENFORCING THE PATRIOT ACT - President Trump's new Acting Director of National Intelligence Bill Pulte has already 1

New acting intel chief Pulte arrives early, eyes firing hundreds Trump’s new acting intelligence chief Bill Pulte arrives early, eyes firing hundreds Trump’s new acting intelligence chief Bill Pulte arrives early, eyes firing hundreds President Trump told the Wall Street Journal that he's asked Bill Pelte, his new acting Director of National Intelligence, to begin the process of firing people from that office. On Air Force One yesterday, he argued that it has too many employees. I've heard that's way too high for way too long. Yeah, I wouldn't mind if he cut, I wouldn't mind that. The DNI oversees the nation's 18 intelligence agencies, and it was created in the wake of the 9/11 terrorist attack to improve information sharing across the federal government. President Trump's decision to put Polte in charge temporarily has faced backlash on Capitol Hill, including from some Republicans, because he has no known national security. Experience he has also gone after the president's perceived political enemies in his current role leading the Federal Housing Finance Agency. Now the president praised Polty on Friday but also indicated that he's interviewing 5 other candidates to permanently…

Trump urges new spy chief to fire employees Bill Pulte, a Mr. Trump loyalist who heads the Federal Housing Finance Agency, was named by the Republican president on June 2 as acting Director of National Intelligence

BREAKING: President Trump appoints Bill Pulte, who leads the Federal Housing Finance Agency, as acting director of national intelligence to replace Tulsi Gabbard. MS NOW's Eugene Daniels has analysis:

Trump taps housing official Bill Pulte to be US spymaster The head of the Federal Housing Finance Agency, who pushed for criminal charges against Trump's foes, will step in as acting Director of National Intelligence.

Gregory F. Treverton: Why the director of national intelligence needs more than political loyalty to do the job <p>President Donald Trump&#8217;s choice for acting director of national intelligence, Bill Pulte, has proved controversial. Pulte&#8217;s lack of background in national security matters has sparked resistance from Democrats on Capitol Hill, which is not surprising. But <a href="https://thehill.com/homenews/senate/5906007-republican-bewilderment-trump-dni/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">some Republicans, too, have expressed dismay </a>at the president&#8217;s choice, a Trump loyalist who currently runs the Federal Housing Finance Agency.</p>

National News Trump's pick for intel chief could imperil a key U.S. spy tool. Who is Bill Pulte? NPR | By Eric McDaniel Published June 11, 2026 at 2:00 AM PDT Twitter LinkedIn Email Kayla Bartkowski / Getty Images Bill Pulte testifies before the Senate Banking Committee on February 27, 2025. President Trump has picked Pulte to serve as acting director of national intelligence. When President Trump named Bill Pulte to serve as acting director of national intelligence last week, it threw a grenade into the middle of delicate congressional negotiations around one of the nation's key spy powers. Pulte, the 38 year-old director of the Federal Housing Finance Agency, is best known for his role as a partisan attack dog for the president. He was a prominent advocate for Trump's push to fire then-Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell and used his sizable social media following to push for mortgage fraud investigations into Trump's perceived enemies. As director of national intelligence, Pulte would oversee the entire U.S. intelligence apparatus. That includes the collection of hundreds of thousands of foreigners' electronic communications under section 702 of the Foreign …

Trump's new acting intel chief Bill Pulte arrives early, eyes firing ... Director of the Federal Housing Finance Agency Bill Pulte speaks with reporters at the White House, Friday, Jan. 9, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci) Evan Vucci/AP/FILE Donald Trump National security Tulsi Gabbard Trump appointments See all topics Facebook Tweet Email Link Threads Link Copied! Follow Summary Trump's acting intelligence chief Bill Pulte arrived a day early after asking for a list of every employee in the office so he could assess whether to fire them, two sources familiar with the matter told CNN Sources say Pulte is considering cutting hundreds of jobs at the Office of the Director of National Intelligence. Pulte previously did not have a security clearance and has no intelligence experience before taking the role. AI-generated summary was reviewed by a CNN editor. President Donald Trump’s pick for acting director of national intelligence, Bill Pulte , showed up at his new job a day early on Thursday after asking for a list of every employee in the office so he could assess whether to fire them, two sources familiar with the matter told CNN. The sources said Pulte is eyeing to cut hu…

National News Trump's pick for intel chief could imperil a key U.S. spy tool. Who is Bill Pulte? NPR | By Eric McDaniel Published June 11, 2026 at 2:00 AM PDT Twitter LinkedIn Email Kayla Bartkowski / Getty Images Bill Pulte testifies before the Senate Banking Committee on February 27, 2025. President Trump has picked Pulte to serve as acting director of national intelligence. When President Trump named Bill Pulte to serve as acting director of national intelligence last week, it threw a grenade into the middle of delicate congressional negotiations around one of the nation's key spy powers. Pulte, the 38 year-old director of the Federal Housing Finance Agency, is best known for his role as a partisan attack dog for the president. He was a prominent advocate for Trump's push to fire then-Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell and used his sizable social media following to push for mortgage fraud investigations into Trump's perceived enemies. As director of national intelligence, Pulte would oversee the entire U.S. intelligence apparatus. That includes the collection of hundreds of thousands of foreigners' electronic communications under section 702 of the Foreign …

Trump appoints housing official as acting director of national intelligence Bill Pulte has shown a willingness to go after the president's perceived enemies.

Trump told the WSJ he's urging acting DNI Bill Pulte, an unconfirmed FHFA director with zero intel credentials, to purge intelligence community staff, gut ODNI, and possibly terminate it entirely, calling his unconfirmed status an asset: "less shackled."

Trump appoints Bill Pulte as acting intelligence chief Pulte will take over the role of acting director of national intelligence after the departure of Tulsi Gabbard. He will be involved in important security matters as the US war with Iran continues.

Trump's pick for intel chief could imperil a key U.S. spy tool. Who is Bill Pulte? Pulte's appointment has scrambled talks to renew a spy tool known as FISA 702, as lawmakers in both parties have been vocal about his lack of national security experience and role as a Trump loyalist.

🧐 Breaking 6/2: Donald Trump’s pick for Acting DNI, Bill Pulte, is dangerously unqualified for the role. This move threatens the independence of our intelligence community and the safety of all Americans. @markwarner.bsky.social

Trump taps housing official Bill Pulte to be US spymaster The head of the Federal Housing Finance Agency, who pushed for criminal charges against Trump's foes, will step in as acting Director of National Intelligence.

Trump claims Pulte will investigate ‘rigged elections’ in temporary role <p>US president’s appointee for acting director of national intelligence has sparked bipartisan criticism</p><p><a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/donaldtrump">Donald Trump</a> has suggested his controversial ally Bill Pulte will investigate “rigged elections” while serving as the country’s top intelligence official, as the US president continues to make unfounded allegations about voting.</p><p>But Pulte, whom Trump appointed as acting director of national intelligence earlier this week, will only serve in the role temporarily, the president claimed on Thursday.</p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/jun/04/trump-bill-pulte-national-intelligence">Continue reading...</a>

🔴 BREAKING: Bill Pulte has now assumed the role of acting director of national intelligence, putting a Trump loyalist with no intelligence background atop the nation’s spy apparatus as he reportedly moves to fire staff and tighten his grip on the office.

"Trump’s [entirely to be expected] decision to install housing official Bill Pulte as Acting Director of National Intelligence, despite having no intelligence background." www.thebulwark.com/p/breaking-t...

Strong Support for President Trump's Appointment of William J. Pulte as ... President Trump’sappointmentof William J. Pulte to serve as Acting Director of National Intelligence is drawing praise from lawmakers in the nation’s capital.A battle-tested reformer with deep experience safeguarding highly sensitive information and overhauling massive government institutions, Pulte brings decisive leadership, proven integrity, and a fierce America First commitment to the Intelligence Community. Pulte has a track record of transforming inefficient bureaucracies, protecting critical American assets, and confronting entrenched interests — exactly the outsider leadership needed to ensure our nation’s intelligence agencies focus on their core mission: protecting the American people and confronting global threats. Here’s what they’re saying: Sen. Jim Banks: “While Democrats play politics with our national security, @pulte will put the American people first. He is a friend, ally, and patriot who will fight to drain the Swamp of our intel community, and keep America safe. I look forward to working with him as Acting Director of National Intelligence.” Sen. Marsha Blackburn: “Congratulations t…

BREAKING: Trump just elevated Federal Housing Finance Agency Director Bill Pulte to the position of Acting Director of National Intelligence. Except for being a loyal Trump ally, Pulte’s qualifications to take over as DNI are exactly zero. ZERO.

Trump taps inexperienced housing finance director as new acting US intelligence chief <p>Trump loyalist Bill Pulte, replacing Tulsi Gabbard, isn't known to have any national security expertise; will also stay on as head of federal mortgage giants</p> <p>The post <a href="https://www.timesofisrael.com/trump-taps-inexperienced-housing-finance-director-as-new-acting-us-intelligence-chief/">Trump taps inexperienced housing finance director as new acting US intelligence chief</a> appeared first on <a href="https://www.timesofisrael.com">The Times of Israel</a>.</p> <figure><img src="https://static-cdn.toi-media.com/www/uploads/2026/06/AP26153489828637-1024x640.jpg" title="Trump taps inexperienced housing finance director as new acting US intelligence chief" border="0" width="160" height="100" class="type:primaryImage"></figure>

Breaking: Trump asks Congress for ‘short-term’ spy law extension as Dems continue to balk on Pulte appointment Politico Indicates he plans to nominate a replacement for acting Intelligence Director Bill Pulte Stopped short of what may be needed--naming a nominee to succeed Pulte bit.ly/444yiZe

BREAKING 🚨 🚨 🚨 Trump names William Pulte as acting DNI head In tapping Pulte, Trump turns to an ally who has been behind referring several of his foes for prosecution for alleged mortgage fraud. Pulti would replace Tulsi Gabbard, who resigned. thehill.com/homenews/adm...

BREAKING NEWS Eric Lee/The New York Times Trump Names Bill Pulte as Acting Director of National Intelligence President Trump said he was naming Pulte, a home-building heir who runs the Federal Housing Finance Agency, to be the acting director of national intelligence, replacing Tulsi Gabbard.

Alarm in Washington as Trump taps staunch loyalist to serve as intelligence chief <p>Bill Pulte, who does not have any national intelligence experience, is nicknamed ‘Little Trump’ among some </p><p>Donald Trump’s decision to appoint Bill Pulte as the acting director of national intelligence has set off alarm bells in Washington, as a staunch Trump loyalist with little government experience who has shown an eagerness to retaliate against the president’s political rivals will now sit atop the US intelligence apparatus.</p><p>Pulte, whose grandfather started PulteGroup, a major residential homebuilder, had no government experience before Trump appointed him to lead the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA), an under-the-radar regulator that oversees the government lenders Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. Shortly after arriving at the agency, he began to gut it, firing sizable chunks of the boards of both and appointing himself as chair. Pulte had no government experience before being appointed to the role and does not have national intelligence experience.</p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/jun/02/bill-pulte-intelligence-chief-concerns">Continue reading...</a>

Trump names inexperienced ally Bill Pulte as intelligence chief Donald Trump appointed a loyalist with no national security experience as head of US intelligence on Tuesday, while allowing him to keep his housing and mortgage oversight roles.

🔴 BREAKING: Trump says Bill Pulte will carry out an “immediate” downsizing of the Office of the Director of National Intelligence in his temporary role, escalating the administration’s effort to hollow out the agency even as the fight over FISA renewal barrels toward a deadline.

President Donald Trump said Bill Pulte, his incoming acting director of national intelligence (DNI), will investigate elections that the president falsely claimed were “rigged.” www.democracydocket.com/news-alerts/...

BREAKING: Trump said that federal housing finance regulator Bill Pulte, his pick for acting director of national intelligence, would not be his “permanent” choice for the critical intelligence security post. apnews.com/article/trum...

Breaking the law again, Trump names Bill Pulte the Acting DNI. Per the law creating the DNI post: “The Principal Deputy Director of National Intelligence shall act for, and exercise the powers of, the Director of National Intelligence . . . /1 www.politico.com/news/2026/06...

Trump just named Bill Pulte as Acting Director of National Intelligence after Tulsi Gabbard’s resignation. Full story: usatrendsz.blogspot.com/2026/06/trum... #Trump #USPolitics #BillPulte #BreakingNews #TulsiGabbard #PoliticalNews

Trump, who didn’t hold back his enthusiasm for Bill Pulte, explained: “He’s a very smart guy. And he may find out some things about the rigged elections.” Trump kept digging in when he insisted a “less shackled” DNI should start firing career professionals to shrink the intelligence agency.

BREAKING 🚨 Donald Trump says he is appointing Bill Pulte as Acting Director of National Intelligence. Pulte has no intelligence or national security background and currently serves as head of the Federal Housing Finance Agency.

Breaking WSJ: Trump says he wants Bill Pulte, his incoming, unqualified acting Director of National Intelligence, to begin firing a large number of employees as part of a shake-up of the intel community. Reminder: Just yesterday, Trump said Pulte won't be in this role permanently.

Bill Pulte, Trump's acting DNI, is "random housing agency guy" with "no national security background" whom Trump authorized to declassify anything which can "burn our sources, expose how we gather intelligence, and ultimately put our own people in harm’s way" www.adamkinzinger.com/p/breaking-t...

Breaking WSJ: Trump says he wants Bill Pulte, his incoming, unqualified acting Director of National Intelligence, to begin firing a large number of employees as part of a shake-up of the intel community. Reminder: Just yesterday, Trump said Pulte won't be in this role permanently.

Bill Pulte makes Tulsi Gabbard look like a competent pick for DNI! Get ready for a lot more bogus, shoddy indictments against Trump‘s perceived enemies as another incompetent clown is put in charge of our national intelligence. #inners

Bill Pulte, a nepo baby and political hack and a rank amateur with 0 intelligence experience to run the National Intelligence Directorate responsible for 17 intelligence agencies including the CIA. It is more likely that Pulte will run around pursuing Trump's enemies list and conspiracy theories

New Dir of National Intelligence President Trump is naming Bill Pulte to replace Tulsi Gabbard as Dir of Nat'l Intelligence. Pulte is a home-building heir who runs the Federal Housing Finance Agency. Oh boy. ANOTHER UNQUALIFIED HACK. How much has he donated to Trump? Iran heard & is celebrating!

#Politics #Trump Breaking from #CNN via Archive.ph: Trump's new acting director of national intelligence, who has no intel experience, showed up early today and has said he's going to fire hundreds of employees. He's also asked to take home classified intelligence documents. archive.ph/TU5ky

Trump says he won’t nominate Pulte as permanent US spy chief after backlash US President ⁠Donald Trump on Thursday indicated ⁠that he would not nominate mortgage regulator ⁠Bill Pulte to be the nation’s intelligence chief once his temporary appointment expires early next year. His comments follow a backlash against Pulte’s appointment as acting director of national intelligence from Democrats and some key senators of his Republican Party over the ‌Trump loyalist’s lack of national security experience. Speaking to reporters in the Oval Office, Trump indicated he would...

Trump presses on with plan to install Bill Pulte as acting intelligence chief <p>Lawmakers warn appointment of presidential loyalist will scuttle bipartisan agreement to renew Fisa surveillance law</p><p>Donald Trump is pushing ahead with his controversial plan to install political loyalist Bill Pulte as acting director of national intelligence, a move that has sparked bipartisan congressional backlash and imperiled the reauthorization of a powerful surveillance law set to expire at the end of this week.</p><p>Trump’s Tuesday evening <a href="https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/116722436233594406">announcement</a> came after <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/jun/09/trump-johnson-surveillance-law">he met earlier in the day</a> with the House speaker, Mike Johnson, to discuss Pulte’s elevation to the role, which has prompted widespread concern over his complete lack of national security experience and the prospect that he could use the office’s spying powers to continue his campaign of targeting Trump’s perceived political enemies.</p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/jun/10/trump-bill-pulte-intelligence-director">Continue reading...</a>

Trump has instructed Bill Pulte, the new acting head of the Office of the Director of National Intelligence , to execute sweeping personnel cuts across the nation's 18 federal intelligence agencies and units before a permanent successor is confirmed. www.democracydocket.com/news-alerts/...

Trump urges acting spy chief to declassify records, including on 2020 U.S. election Bill Pulte, a political loyalist with no national security experience, was appointed as acting director of national intelligence last month; he has reportedly already ​moved to cut hundreds of intelligence jobs

NATIONAL SECURITY ALERT 1 / Trump nominated Bill Pulte for the Director of National Intelligence, who is a political attack dog against Trump's enemies. Today the WH hired a convicted Jan 6th insurrectionist, Elias Irizarry, to be part of a counterterrorism unit with the ability to see Americas

🔴 MAJOR BREAKING: Trump’s decision to hand the intelligence community to Bill Pulte—a political loyalist with no intelligence experience—has now thrown the fate of Section 702 into fresh chaos just days before the surveillance program is set to expire.

🔴 MAJOR BREAKING: Trump is now openly pushing Bill Pulte to begin purging the intelligence community, telling his acting spy chief to “start the process” of firing employees in a shake-up that looks less like reform than a political cleansing. Full story: iamdonnyevans.substack.com/i/200762133/...

Trump urges new spy chief Pulte to gut US intelligence community US President Donald Trump said Friday he wants his incoming acting spy chief to start firing employees, deepening the controversy over the appointment of a man with no previous intelligence experience. Bill Pulte, a Trump loyalist who heads the Federal Housing Finance Agency, was named by the Republican president on Tuesday as acting Director of National Intelligence. “If he cut, I wouldn’t mind that,” Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One, adding that the number of employees in Pulte’s...

Trump taps housing regulator Bill Pulte as acting intelligence chief US President Donald Trump has named federal housing regulator Bill Pulte as acting director of national intelligence, entrusting oversight of America’s intelligence agencies to a close political ally whose career has been rooted in housing finance rather than national security. Trump announced the appointment on Tuesday, saying Pulte would replace Tulsi Gabbard, who stepped down last month after citing her husband’s cancer diagnosis. The move places the 38-year-old director of the Federal...

National News Trump's pick for intel chief could imperil a key U.S. spy tool. Who is Bill Pulte? NPR | By Eric McDaniel Published June 11, 2026 at 2:00 AM PDT Twitter LinkedIn Email Kayla Bartkowski / Getty Images Bill Pulte testifies before the Senate Banking Committee on February 27, 2025. President Trump has picked Pulte to serve as acting director of national intelligence. When President Trump named Bill Pulte to serve as acting director of national intelligence last week, it threw a grenade into the middle of delicate congressional negotiations around one of the nation's key spy powers. Pulte, the 38 year-old director of the Federal Housing Finance Agency, is best known for his role as a partisan attack dog for the president. He was a prominent advocate for Trump's push to fire then-Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell and used his sizable social media following to push for mortgage fraud investigations into Trump's perceived enemies. As director of national intelligence, Pulte would oversee the entire U.S. intelligence apparatus. That includes the collection of hundreds of thousands of foreigners' electronic communications under section 702 of the Foreign …

President Donald Trump said Bill Pulte, his incoming acting director of national intelligence (DNI), will investigate elections that the president falsely claimed were “rigged.” www.democracydocket.com/news-alerts/...

"Trump showing no interest in keeping American's safe by appointing Bill Pulte, a nepo baby and political hack and a rank amateur with 0 intelligence experience to run the National Intelligence Directorate responsible for 17 intelligence agencies including the CIA." per Legal AF

Playing for Putin: Trump announced Bill Pulte, who has no previous experience in the intelligence sphere, is “less shackled” because he has only been appointed director of national intelligence temporarily, and he can fire anyone he wants to. Wake up, Wake up, Wake up America.

Trump's new Acting DNI: Housing Director Bill Pulte The guy who referred Letitia James, Eric Swalwell, Adam Schiff and Fani Willis for retribution indictments on fake mortgage fraud claims What could possibly go wrong? www.cnn.com/2026/06/02/p...

Trump’s loyalist intelligence chief pick throws into doubt renewal of critical surveillance program <p>Democrats say appointment of Bill Pulte could doom bipartisan agreement to renew section 702 of Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act</p><ul><li><p><a href="https://www.theguardian.com/news/2026/feb/17/sign-up-for-the-breaking-news-us-email-to-get-newsletter-alerts-direct-to-your-inbox?utm_medium=ACQUISITIONS_STANDFIRST&amp;utm_campaign=BN22326&amp;utm_content=signup&amp;utm_term=standfirst&amp;utm_source=GUARDIAN_WEB">Sign up for the Breaking News US newsletter email</a></p></li></ul><p>Donald Trump’s appointment of a close political ally with no intelligence experience to lead the nation’s spy agencies has thrown last-ditch efforts to renew a critical surveillance program into doubt.</p><p>Bill Pulte, currently head of the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA), major Republican donor and heir to a home construction fortune, was tapped by Trump to serve as acting director of national intelligence days after Tulsi Gabbard departed the role.</p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/jun/03/trump-intelligence-chief-fisa-surveillance-program">Continue reading...</a>

Trump said Bill Pulte, his incoming acting director of national intelligence (DNI), will investigate elections that the president falsely claimed were “rigged.” That has nothing to do with the DNI, and Pulte is totally unqualified for the DNI job anyhow. www.democracydocket.com/news-alerts/...

Trump pushes to delay appointment of new spy chief in legislative standoff Trump says plan to keep controversial acting DNI head, Bill Pulte, in role as he pushes for surveillance, voter ID law.

Bill Pulte assumes role of US acting director of national intelligence <p>Head of Federal Housing Finance Agency who investigated Trump’s enemies takes over top intelligence role</p><ul><li><p><a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/jun/19/bill-pulte-acting-director-national-intelligence-timeline">Timeline of Bill Pulte’s appointment as acting director of national intelligence</a></p></li></ul><p>Bill Pulte, the Federal Housing Finance Agency director, became the acting director of national intelligence (DNI) on Friday, following a tug-of-war between <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/donaldtrump">Donald Trump</a> and Washington lawmakers over the short-term future of the cabinet intelligence post.</p><p>Tulsi Gabbard, the outgoing DNI, initially planned to leave her post on 30 June, but Trump shortened her tenure to Friday. Senators planned to confirm Jay Clayton, the president’s DNI nominee, by Friday, which would have denied Pulte an opportunity to serve as acting director. But Trump abruptly<strong> </strong>called off on Wednesday a Senate confirmation hearing for Clayton and directed him not to appear in front of Senate lawmakers.</p> <a href="https://www…

Trump's slams GOP over Bill Pulte as acting DNI and FISA row; ‘Republicans fell into trap’ President Donald Trump has pushed to delay the nomination of Jay Clayton as the next intelligence director, keeping loyalist Bill Pulte on as acting DNI.&nbsp;