Pulte’s appointment as acting DNI jeopardizes extension of foreign surveillance program

Even those who’ve come to expect the worst from Donald Trump were taken aback on Tuesday morning when the president announced that Bill Pulte, the highly controversial director of the Federal Housing Finance Agency, would serve as the acting director of national intelligence.

This Video Is Trending Right Now →

The appointment was obviously indefensible. Pulte has literally no background in intelligence or national security, failing to meet the statutory qualifications for the office, and he’s earned a reputation as a hyperpartisan official who has routinely abused his office to target the White House’s perceived political foes. The Bulwark summarized his background as an “unserious, unqualified, disliked, ill-prepared [and] inexperienced” official.

The reaction from congressional Democrats can be fairly described as apoplectic, while even many congressional Republicans found Trump’s appointment difficult to defend. A Politico report added that the president’s move also “shocked” many in the intelligence community.

As Marc Polymeropoulos, a retired 26-year veteran of the CIA, put it, Trump’s choice “will cause worry amongst IC professionals that the DNI will be fully weaponized in support of going after Trump’s political enemies, given Pulte’s track record.” Indeed, MS NOW’s Chris Hayes added that Pulte’s “utterly insane” appointment only makes sense “if you want to turn the entire U.S. intelligence apparatus into a tool for domestic persecution and domination.”

But as the political world tries to absorb the implications of this absurdity, there’s one related element that’s worth watching closely. MS NOW reported Wednesday morning:

Sen. Mark Warner (D-Va.), the vice chair of the Senate Intelligence Committee, urged Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) to use his influence with President Trump to convince him to reverse the appointment of Bill Pulte as Acting Director of National Intelligence, a source familiar with the matter confirmed to MS NOW.

This Video Is Trending Right Now 👇

Click here to watch the video

source WATCH THE CONTENT VIDEO

Warner said if the reversal doesn’t happen all options are on the table, including tanking a bipartisan deal to extend FISA, the source said. Warner, as a key member of the Intelligence Committee, is a top advocate for extending the nation’s warrantless spying powers.

Punchbowl News and Politico published related reports on the development.

Warner isn’t alone on the threat. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries also said of Pulte, “His supposed elevation as the acting director of national intelligence will jeopardize the effort to pass surveillance legislation that was already on life support. Why in the world should Democrats or any member of Congress trust Donald Trump, Kash Patel or Bill Pulte with the privacy of the American people?”