Pulte is widely viewed as a Trump loyalist who has targeted the president's political foes during his tenure leading the housing regulatory agency.

Pulte has no background in national security or intelligence.

Critics question qualifications as loyalist inherits post amid global crises

“We don’t need a weaponized DNI; we need professionals there," said Senate Majority Leader John Thune.

Republican Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., said he shares Bessent’s sentiment.

WASHINGTON, June 3 — President Donald Trump yesterday appointed a loyalist housing official with a history of targeting Trump’s enemies as the head of US intelligence, despite...

Pulte is widely viewed as a Trump loyalist who has targeted the president's political foes during his tenure leading the housing regulatory agency.

Bill Pulte, President Trump's pick for acting director of national intelligence, is being met with some skepticism on Capitol Hill.

Bessent admitted, “I actually said I was going to kick his a—” when Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., asked about the widely reported confrontation last summer during a congressional…

Bessent said he made the comment in the summer of 2025. President Donald Trump named Pulte acting director of national intelligence this week.

The president’s pick of Pulte to be the acting director of national intelligence has triggered pushback from some Republican and Democratic senators.

Critics fear the acting director of national intelligence will use his access to top-secret information to target the president’s foes.