President Trump has appointed William J. Pulte, current Director of the Federal Housing Finance Agency and Chairman of Fannie Mae/Freddie Mac, to serve as Acting Director of National Intelligence. In a Truth Social post, Trump highlighted Pulte’s “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.”

Pulte will retain his roles as Director of the Federal Housing Finance Agency and Chairman of Fannie Mae/Freddie Mac during his interim tenure. The move follows Tulsi Gabbard’s announcement last month that she would depart the administration, with Trump previously designating Principal Deputy Director of National Intelligence Aaron Lukas to assume acting duties after Gabbard’s scheduled departure on June 30.

Pulte has drawn sharp criticism for sending criminal referrals to multiple officials, including Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook, New York Attorney General Letitia James, Senator Adam Schiff, and former Democratic Representative Eric Swalwell. Senate Democrats and the House leadership condemned his appointment, with Senate Majority Leader John Thune stating, “We don’t need a weaponized DNI, we need professionals there.” Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer added, “Bill Pulte is a partisan thug with no experience in intelligence. He is another unqualified Trump appointee that will make our country less safe. And you won’t hear a word from the Republicans who claim to care about national security.”

The White House has not yet clarified when Pulte’s tenure as Acting Director of National Intelligence will begin or whether Aaron Lukas will remain in his current role.