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Welcome to The Logoff: Donald Trump has put a loyalist with no reputation in charge of America’s intelligence agencies.
What is happening? On Tuesday, Trump announced in a social media post that he was appointing Bill Pulte, who is already the director of the Federal Housing Finance Agency, as acting director of national intelligence.
Pulte will replace former Representative Tulsi Gabbard in the position after Gabbard announced her resignation last month, due to her husband’s cancer diagnosis. (Gabbard has a few weeks left on the job, though: Her resignation is effective June 30.)
What does DNI do? As acting director of national intelligence, Pulte’s job — apparently — is to oversee and coordinate the 18 agencies that make up the U.S. intelligence community, including the CIA, the FBI, and the National Security Agency. It’s a big role, though one that has been sidelined for much of Trump’s second administration because of conflicts between Gabbard and the White House.
What is the context? Like my colleague Andrew Prokop was reported last yearPulte has spent his time in government so far hiring himself as a Trump attack dog, including digging up flimsy mortgage fraud allegations against Trump. Fed Governor Lisa CookSenator Adam Schiff (D-CA), and New York Attorney General Letitia James (the only one that resulted in an indictment, which has since dismissal) He also pushed Trump to fire former Fed chairman Jay Powell.
Why this matter? Gabbard’s tenure as DNI was a turning point wonderful, scaryand inappropriate — but it may pale in comparison to what Pulte can do with the role.
Pulte has no national security or intelligence background, so his only qualification for the DNI job appears to be his undying and unwavering loyalty to Trump. As the FHFA director, that seemed like a misguided ploy to impeach Trump’s enemies; the head of the intelligence community, with authority over domestic and foreign intelligence collection, may be the greatest threat.
And so, it’s time to leave…
Hello readers! Here it is story from The Atlantic making a case for inviting people on a voluntary, low-level basis. It’s good advice – we’ve backed it up in the pages of this magazine before! – and spending time with friends is a sure way to feel better about the state of the world. You can read it at the gift link here. Have a good evening, and see you tomorrow!
