President Donald Trump has named Bill Pulte as the acting director of national intelligence after former director Tulsi Gabbard announced she would be resigning at the end of this month.
Gabbard said earlier last week she was stepping down from the role to support her husband, who was recently diagnosed with a rare bone cancer. Trump publicly commended Gabbard for her work to restore “trust and focus with the intelligence community,” offering support to her and her husband.
On Tuesday, Trump announced Pulte’s appointment in a Truth Social post. Pulte, who currently serves as the director of the Federal Housing Finance Agency, will act in both roles for the time being, Trump said.
Trump cited Pulte’s position as a top housing official as evidence of his “deep experience” with matters relevant to his new acting position.
Since Pulte is only serving as the acting director, Trump did not need Congress’s approval to make the decision.
After entering this role in 2025, Pulte has become a controversial figure among Democratic members of Congress after issuing several criminal referrals to the Justice Department for New York Attorney General Letitia James (D-NY) and Senator Adam Schiff (D-CA).
Pulte also moved to investigate Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook for allegations of fraud, later leading to Trump's insisting on her dismissal, which remains pending. In November, Representative Eric Swalwell (D-CA) sued Pulte for abusing his position to manufacture allegations of mortgage fraud until later dropping the lawsuit.
For now, it is unclear whether Trump will move to make Pulte’s newest position permanent.
