'A total Trump toady': Democrats slam Bill Pulte as acting intelligence chief

Senator Mark Kelly (D-AZ) is not mincing words over President Donald Trump's decision to hand the nation's top intelligence role to Bill Pulte, arguing the pick has nothing to do with qualifications and everything to do with loyalty. "As a real estate developer, Pulte has no relevant national security experience— which is a requirement for the job. Putting someone this unqualified in charge of U.S. intelligence isn't just absurd. It's reckless," Kelly wrote on X.

The member of the Armed Services Committee argued that the Director of National Intelligence carries direct responsibility for American lives, and that Pulte had spent his time at the Federal Housing Finance Agency not doing his job but weaponizing it against the President's political enemies. Pulte steps into the role following Tulsi Gabbard's departure, who left to care for her husband after his cancer diagnosis.

The director of national intelligence oversees all 18 U.S. intelligence agencies and is among the most consequential national security appointments by the president. Many have questioned putting someone with a real estate background in that role at a time of heightened global threats, including the war with Iran, wondering whether the nation's intelligence apparatus is being run by the most qualified hands or the most loyal ones.

Trump, posting on Truth Social, argued that Pulte brings deep experience "managing the most sensitive matters in America," including the markets, and overseeing more than $10 trillion at Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. He added that Pulte would retain his existing roles while stepping in for Gabbard on an acting basis. It did little to silence lawmakers, who made their opposition abundantly clear.

Sen. Elissa Slotkin (D-MI) doubted Pulte's credentials, calling him a "dangerous" choice. "...he's fired federal watchdogs looking into his allies, and he is under active investigation by the Government Accountability Office," she wrote on social media, urging the President to choose a serious nominee. Sen. Mark Warner (D-VA) called it a "crazy selection," declaring Pulte to be unqualified for the job. "It is an insult to the intelligence community...the only qualification he (Pulte) has is that he is a total Trump toady," he declaimed.

"This should be a non-starter," Senator Chris Van Hollen (D-MA) posted on X, echoing the sentiments of his Democratic colleagues. The pushback was not confined to Democrats; several Republicans were also reluctant to get behind the appointment. "The Senate doesn't have any role to play in terms of confirming acting officials, but I see no evidence of any qualifications for that job," Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX), a senior member of the Senate Intelligence Committee, said of Pulte.

"We don't need a weaponized DNI. We need professionals there," said Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD), Associated Press reported. "I'm trying to get more information about the current state of their thinking about that position. And, again, if he's somebody they want in that position permanently, he's got, as you all know, a lengthy road ahead of him," he was quoted as saying. Sen. Thom Tillis, the outgoing senator from North Carolina, called Pulte an "incendiary attack dog" in a CNBC interview, with no chance of confirmation by the Senate.