President Trump has named Bill Pulte, a housing official without prior intelligence experience, as acting Director of National Intelligence. The appointment has drawn questions from members of both parties. Available reporting is limited to two left-center sources.
“Trump's appointment of housing chief as intelligence director raises eyebrows from both parties”
Read at CBS News →No center sources covered this
No right-leaning sources covered this
The appointment exemplifies prioritizing loyalty over competence and risks politicizing intelligence assessments.
“Institutional independence and erosion of norms”
The choice bypasses an insular intelligence bureaucracy that previously resisted Trump priorities.
“Disruption of entrenched administrative interests”
The core concern is the unaccountable power of the intelligence apparatus itself rather than the appointee’s résumé.
“Potential restraint on surveillance authorities”
All three views accept the lack of experience and bipartisan pushback as decisive without examining statutory mechanics or prior acting appointments.
“Narrow window of acting roles and unexamined assumptions about career officials”
Ratings by MBFC