Mr. Trump appointed an inexperienced ally as intelligence chief

US President Donald Trump today appointed Mr. William John Pulte (commonly known as Bill Pulte), head of the Federal Housing Finance Agency and leader of two government-sponsored mortgage lending corporations Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, as acting director of National Intelligence (DNI).

“William has extensive experience in handling America’s most sensitive issues, as well as ensuring the safety and stability of markets,” Mr. Trump posted on Truth Social.

The head of the White House also said that Mr. Pulte will continue to be in charge of roles related to the housing sector.

Pulte, 38 years old, is a loyal ally of Mr. Trump and has always publicly criticized the President’s political opponents. He once accused Mr. Trump’s opponents, including Democratic senator Adam Schiff and New York state attorney general Letitia James, of falsifying documents in mortgage loan applications.

Pulte also actively promoted a mortgage fraud lawsuit against Federal Reserve (Fed) Governor Lisa Cook. Based on this allegation, President Trump once tried to fire monetary policymaker Cook.

Mr. Pulte was appointed to replace Ms. Tulsi Gabbard, who resigned late last month due to her husband’s illness. This move ends a term in which she was repeatedly asked to disagree with Mr. Trump regarding the war with Iran.

Mr. Pulte has virtually no direct professional experience in intelligence or national security, while Ms. Gabbard has a background related to national security but does not have as much experience in the intelligence field as her predecessors.

Gabbard is the fourth senior female official to leave Trump’s cabinet in recent months. The US President fired Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and Attorney General Pam Bondi in March and April respectively. Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer also resigned in April amid a series of scandals.

The White House denied reports that Ms. Gabbard was forced to leave her position. White House spokesman Davis Ingle affirmed that such speculation was “slander”.

The Office of the Director of National Intelligence was established in 2004 as part of a series of changes to the US intelligence community following the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. Lawmakers hope that the new office will prevent intelligence failures by improving the cooperation process between intelligence agencies and the US government.

This office plays a key role in the government’s efforts to identify foreign plots to spread misinformation about the election and American democracy. Other divisions focus on cyber risk, counterterrorism and counterintelligence.