The White House has tapped Bill Pulte, a housing official with no intelligence background, to serve as acting director of national intelligence. The move, confirmed by sources late Monday, is the latest in a series of shock appointments that have rattled Washington's intelligence community.
Pulte, 38, currently heads the Department of Housing and Urban Development's Office of Public Engagement. He has no known experience in intelligence gathering or analysis. His appointment comes after the sudden resignation of the previous DNI, who had clashed with the president over intelligence briefings.
Critics are calling it a purge. Supporters say it's a shake-up long overdue.
"The intelligence community has become a swamp of its own making," a senior White House official told this bureau. "Bill is a loyalist. He will drain it."
The appointment does not require Senate confirmation, as Pulte is acting. But it has already sparked fury on Capitol Hill. Senate Intelligence Committee vice chairman Mark Warner called it "a dangerous politicisation of our national security."
Pulte's rise is remarkable. He was a little-known figure until he appeared at a Trump rally last year, praising the president's housing policies. Since then, he has become a fixture in the West Wing.
Inside the intelligence community, there is panic. Career officials fear a purge of senior analysts. One former CIA officer told me: "This is how you break an agency. You put a political hack in charge."
The White House is betting that Pulte will deliver intelligence assessments that align with the president's worldview. But critics warn that the move could backfire, alienating allies and undermining US credibility.
Pulte's first task will be to oversee the President's Daily Brief, the top-secret intelligence summary delivered to the Oval Office. Sources say the president has long complained that the brief is "too negative" and "biased."
"He wants intelligence that tells him what he wants to hear," a former intelligence official said. "That's a recipe for disaster."
The appointment has also raised legal questions. The Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act requires the DNI to be confirmed by the Senate. But the White House is arguing that the acting role is exempt.
Democrats are vowing to challenge the move in court. But with a Republican majority in the Senate, the outcome is uncertain.
Pulte declined to comment. But a spokesperson said he would "bring a fresh perspective" to the intelligence community.
For the markets, the news has been unsettling. The dollar fell against a basket of currencies on Tuesday morning. Analysts are watching closely for any signs of instability.
The appointment is the latest in a series of controversial personnel moves. Last week, the president fired the director of the FBI. The week before, he replaced the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
Critics say the pattern is clear: the president is surrounding himself with loyalists who will not push back.
"This is a man who cannot tolerate dissent," a former White House aide said. "He is systematically gutting the institutions that are supposed to check his power."
But the president's allies see it differently. "The deep state is fighting back," a Republican strategist said. "But the president is winning."
For now, Pulte is in charge. The question is how long he will last. And what damage he will do in the meantime.
