Trump says Pulte won't be permanent national intelligence director

William Pulte, director of the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) nominee for US President Donald Trump, during a Senate Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs Committee confirmation hearing in Washington, DC, US, on Thursday, Feb. 27, 2025. Al Drago | Bloomberg | Getty Images President Donald Trump said Thursday that Acting Director of National Intelligence Bill Pulte will not be appointed to that position permanently. Trump's comment came two days after he tapped Pulte, who leads the Federal Housing Finance Agency , as acting DNI. He is replacing outgoing DNI Tulsi Gabbard . The move sparked criticism on Capitol Hill, where lawmakers decried his lack of intelligence experience and his history as a political attack dog for Trump. "It's not a permanent, he's not going to be permanent, because you know, I don't think he'd want to be permanent," Trump told reporters at the White House on Thursday when asked why he thinks Pulte is the best person for the job. "He's a very smart guy, and you may find out some things about the rigged elections, etc., etc." Trump hinted at Pulte digging into domestic investigations, despite the U.S. intelligence community's focus on foreign targets. Gabbard sparked controversy in January when she showed up at an FBI raid that seized records related to the 2020 election from the Fulton County Clerk's Office in Georgia. …