Trump Appoints FHFA Chief Bill Pulte as Acting Spy Chief, Retaining Housing Roles

President Donald Trump on June 2, 2026 named Bill Pulte, director of the Federal Housing Finance Agency, as acting director of National Intelligence, elevating a loyalist with no national-security experience to oversee 18 intelligence agencies. Pulte, 38, will also remain FHFA director and chairman of government-controlled mortgage giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. The appointment is unconventional given Pulte’s lack of intelligence background, but aligns with Trump’s pattern of selecting ardent supporters for the role. Pulte was a driving force behind the administration’s confrontation with the Federal Reserve and submitted a criminal referral against Fed Governor Lisa Cook, fueling Trump’s push to fire her. Pulte’s selection may expose internal divisions, as other officials view him as operating beyond his remit by pitching ideas directly to Trump during weekend visits to Mar-a-Lago. He succeeds Tulsi Gabbard, who stepped down to support her spouse’s cancer treatment but had been excluded from some meetings after Trump launched military operations against Iran and Venezuela.