When Tulsi Gabbard resigned as director of national intelligence in May, it was hard to imagine her replacement could be so much more unqualified. Gabbard spent her tenure waging turf wars with the CIA and selectively weaponizing classified disclosures for partisan theater. To be sure, Donald Trump has never been particularly interested in qualifications for members of his Cabinet. Competence is optional, and loyalty has always mattered more. Yet Trump’s decision to install Bill Pulte as acting director of national intelligence somehow managed to shock even his most steadfast MAGA allies.The usual chorus of praise was there, of course, but this time, even prominent conservatives flinched.
Pulte, the current head of the Federal Housing Finance Agency, has no meaningful background in intelligence, espionage, military affairs, counterterrorism or national security. His career high-water marks include inheriting a construction fortune, running an attention-seeking cash-giveaway scheme on social media and serving as Trump’s head of the Federal Housing Finance Agency, where he became a top proponent of the predatory and controversial 50-year mortgage. The true, chilling utility of Pulte to the Trump project lies in his track record of weaponizing government agencies against domestic political opponents.
