U.S. President Donald Trump today selected Bill Pulte, age 38 and current head of the real estate refinancing organization Fannie Mae/Freddie Mac, to succeed Tulsi Gabbard as director of national intelligence.
In a message posted on his social media outlet Truth Social, Trump wrote that the current director of the Federal Housing Finance Agency has “deep experience in managing sensitive issues in the US” to justify this choice, clarifying that he would retain his current responsibilities at the same time.
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As Reuters notes, with this appointment the US president is upgrading this close political ally and supporter who has no national security experience by giving him the reins of the country’s intelligence community.
“William has deep experience managing the most sensitive issues in America, the security and robustness of the Markets and over $10 trillion in Fannie Mae/Freddie Mac, a significant increase from just 12 months ago,” Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform.
Tulcy Gabbard, Trump’s first director of National Intelligence, announced plans to leave that post in May. Reuters reported that she was forced to leave the post because of friction with the White House. Gabbard said she resigned because of her husband’s recent diagnosis with cancer.
The US intelligence community is made up of 18 agencies, including the CIA and the US National Security Agency (NSA), which is tasked with gathering data and intelligence on security threats both domestically and internationally. The agency has become increasingly important in recent months due to Trump’s war on Iran, recent attempted attacks on the president and federal officials, and a series of military engagements in South America.
