President Donald Trump has appointed Bill Pulte, Federal Housing Finance Agency director and chairman of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, to replace Tulsi Gabbard as acting director of national intelligence.
“I am appointing the Director of the Federal Housing Finance Agency, and Chairman of Fannie Mae/Freddie Mac, William J. Pulte, to serve as Acting Director of National Intelligence,” Trump wrote on Truth Social Tuesday morning. “William 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, a substantial increase from where it was just 12 months ago.”
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Trump added that Pulte would remain in his housing policy roles in the interim.
Gabbard announced she would be departing the administration by June 30 last month after her husband was diagnosed with an aggressive form of bone cancer, but also after reported disagreement with other Trump officials regarding the president’s foreign policy, particularly concerning Iran.
Gabbard, a former Democrat, has long been opposed to interventionist foreign policy and so-called forever wars.
Deputy Director of National Intelligence Aaron Lukas had previously been tapped to replace Gabbard.
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Pulte’s appointment represents a meteoric rise within the Trump administration for the former real estate mogul, whose grandfather started the PulteGroup.
As a Trump official, Pulte has developed a reputation as a political attack dog for the president after he alleged New York Attorney General Letitia James, Sen. Adam Schiff (D-CA), and Federal Reserve Board of Governors member Lisa Cook of mortgage fraud, leading to the latter’s dismissal and the opportunity to appoint a governor more likely to vote to decrease interest rates.
James prosecuted Trump in his civil fraud lawsuit after his first administration, while Schiff was chairman of the House Intelligence Committee during the president’s first impeachment trial over this telephone call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
Gabbard had also used her post to put pressure on Trump’s perceived political opponents, seizing voting machines in Georgia and Puerto Rico.
