Trump Taps Housing Regulator Bill Pulte as Acting Director of National Intelligence

President Donald Trump on Tuesday named Bill Pulte, the director of the Federal Housing Finance Agency, as acting director of national intelligence, replacing outgoing DNI Tulsi Gabbard — a move that drew immediate criticism from both Democratic lawmakers and the Senate's top Republican.

Pulte has no known prior intelligence experience. In his new role, he will oversee the U.S. intelligence community, which includes the CIA and the National Security Agency.

Trump announced the decision in a Truth Social post, writing that Pulte has "deep experience managing the most sensitive matters in America, the safety and soundness of the Markets, and over 10 Trillion Dollars at Fannie Mae/Freddie Mac." Pulte will retain his existing titles as FHFA director and chairman of the mortgage groups Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.

Gabbard informed Trump on May 22 that she needed to step down as DNI to support her husband following his diagnosis of what she described as "an extremely rare form of bone cancer." Her resignation was set to take effect June 30.

Trump had previously announced that Principal Deputy Director of National Intelligence Aaron Lukas would assume the acting DNI role after Gabbard's departure. The White House did not immediately respond to questions about when Pulte's tenure would begin or whether Lukas would remain in his current position.

Senate Majority Leader John Thune, a Republican from South Dakota, told reporters on Capitol Hill that he is seeking more information from the Trump administration about its plans for the position. "We don't need a weaponized DNI, we need professionals there," Thune said.

Pulte has cultivated a combative profile from his perch atop the normally low-profile FHFA. He filed a criminal referral against Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook last year, alleging mortgage fraud based on claims that Cook listed two different properties as her primary residence simultaneously. Trump subsequently attempted to fire Cook; her legal challenge to that firing is currently pending before the Supreme Court.

Pulte also submitted a criminal referral against New York Attorney General Letitia James, alleging she falsified bank documents and property records in connection with a home mortgage she obtained in 2020. James was charged in October with bank fraud and making false statements to a financial institution, but a federal judge dismissed the case in November after ruling that the interim U.S. attorney who brought the indictment — former Trump lawyer Lindsey Halligan — had been invalidly appointed.

Democrats immediately condemned the appointment. Thune's public criticism was notable given his position as the chamber's top Republican, signaling that the nomination could face resistance even within the president's own party.

Whether the Senate will move to confirm a permanent DNI nominee — or whether Pulte will serve in an acting capacity for an extended period — remains an open question, one that lawmakers on both sides of the aisle are now pressing the White House to answer.

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