Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) told reporters “we don’t need a weaponized” director of national intelligence when asked about President Trump’s appointment of Bill Pulte, the homebuilder and director of the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA), to serve as acting head of the nation’s intelligence services. Thune pointed out that Pulte, who has come…
Democratic lawmakers are airing their frustration Tuesday, after President Trump appointed Bill Pulte to serve as acting head of the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI). Trump named Pulte, the head of the Federal Housing Finance Agency )FHFA), to replace Tulsi Gabbard after she resigned from the office last month. “Bill Pulte is…
President Donald Trump named Bill Pulte to oversee the entire national security apparatus of the United States. He will serve in the job while also remaining in his current job as Federal Housing Finance Agency Director. This adds to Pulte's other job, chairman of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.Pulte has a history of using his government position to aid Trump's retribution campaign, targeting Federal Reserve Board of Governors member Lisa Cook and New York Attorney General Letitia James. Cook was never charged by the Justice Department and James' charges were dismissed. You know, to call this appointment an unorthodox one, I think, would be an understatement," said senior CNN reporter Kevin Liptak. "You know, he's the heir to a construction company, fortune. He's been in this mortgage role for the last year or so. What he is, is a real, true Trump loyalist. You know, he's a frequent guest on Air Force One and at Mar-a-Lago. And what you've seen him doing is leveraging this role that he's in at the mortgage agency to try and go after some of Trump's perceived enemies..."While the Cook efforts have failed, Liptak said that it has likely "engendered an enormous amount of goodwill towards him by the president."He noted the seriousness of the Director of National Intelligence post, overseeing 17 intelligence agencies. The post was created after Sept. 11, 2001, when a report found there was intelligence ahead of time that an attack was imminent, but that bureaucratic silos prevented the various intelligence agencies from connecting all of the dots. Liptak said that Trump has relied more on the CIA for international intelligence than he did on Gabbard. "He looked to her to, sort of, go after some of his obsessions, whether it's to try and advance claims of voting fraud, whether it was to try and downplay allegations of Russian election meddling," said Liptak. "This, I think, suggests that the president will put in this position someone who has gone after this retribution campaign, who has advanced some ideas of vindication against some of his enemies. [Trump] doesn't say whether he will be appointing him to the permanent job, but because Bill Pulte was already approved by the Senate for his current job, he will be able to stay in this position for quite some time."CNN host Wolf Blitzer asked whether the White House had yet to explain what qualifies Pulte to run the nation's intelligence apparatus."The only qualifications that the White House has specified is what President Trump is pointing out on his Truth Social, which is what he calls experience 'managing the most sensitive matters in America,'" Liptak said."I do think you can read into what Pulte has used his job to do as how President Trump views the DNI position," Liptak continued. "He has used his access to the mortgage information in his current position to go after Trump's perceived enemies. And I don't think it's a stretch to suggest that he would use his access as the intelligence director to also potentially advance the retribution campaign. That has been the most prominent way we have seen Bill Pulte act in the job that he is currently in."Trump, he explained, has put a "premium on trying to go after his enemies, but also has been frustrated that [it's] not been particularly effective or particularly quick so far in his term."It's one of the reasons Trump fired former Attorney General Pam Bondi. Pulte, wrote Will Neal for the Daily Beast in November, "has reportedly made such a song and dance of pandering to the president that it’s starting to drive other aides insane."
President Donald Trump appointed Bill Pulte to serve as acting director of national intelligence, tapping him to manage the entire national security apparatus of the United States. The "unorthodox" pick reportedly came from longtime GOP operative Roger Stone, Semafor reports.According to Semafor, MAGA forces joined together to convince Trump that, despite his lack of intel experience, Pulte could still manage the 17 intelligence agencies that the post oversees. Pulte will serve in the job while also remaining in his current job as Federal Housing Finance Agency Director. This adds to Pulte's other job, chairman of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.What Stone, Trump and other MAGA allies believe is that Pulte can use his "attack-dog mentality" in "waging an internal war to ramp up the declassification of sensitive information," according to the Tuesday report.“He’s like a bulldozer,” said a source familiar with Pulte when speaking to Semafor about Pulte. “Bulldoze the bureaucracy and accelerate document releases and declassifications.”Stone is best known for his ongoing loyalty to former Republican President Richard Nixon, whom Stone has tattooed on his back. The self-described "dirty trickster" has remained a close confidant and informal adviser to Trump since the 1970s and became a key part of the 2020 "Stop the Steal" movement. He was later convicted on seven counts of lying to Congress and obstruction of justice relating to special counsel Robert Mueller's investigation. Trump commuted his sentence before Stone served a day in prison. He was later pardoned. He's also known for his conspiracy theories and spreading unfounded rumors about Trump's critics. CNN reporter Kevin Liptak commented after the announcement that Pulte has used his post as the director of the Federal Housing Finance Agency to target some of Trump's foes. "This, I think, suggests that the president will put in this position someone who has gone after this retribution campaign, who has advanced some ideas of vindication against some of his enemies," the reporter said.Semafor noted that the biggest barrier to Pulte will be the U.S. Senate. For him to take on the job, Trump needs the votes and right now it doesn't appear he has them. Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) said, “I don’t see any evidence of his qualifications for that job, but I’m willing to listen.”“We don’t need a weaponized DNI, we need professionals there,” Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.) also told reporters on Tuesday. “If he’s somebody we want in that position permanently, he’s got a lengthy road ahead of him.”Stone wouldn't comment on the record about his involvement in picking Pulte, Semafor reported. The one positive of the nomination, a banking lobbyist told Semafor, is that Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Pulte don't get along. With Pulte otherwise engaged, Bessent will be able to focus on housing issues. “If I was Bessent, my wheels are turning right now, like: ‘What can I accomplish in the housing space while I have this open field?’” the banking lobbyist said.Democrats appear ready for a fight. Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) released a statement about Pulte on Tuesday, saying, “Today, President Trump is rewarding his lackey — who has no national security experience — with a perch atop our nation’s intelligence community. What could go wrong?”
Donald Trump has revealed who will replace Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard following her planned resignation, and the left is very unhappy. The post NEW: Leftists Melt Down as President Trump Reveals His Bold Pick to Replace Tulsi Gabbard as Director of National Intelligence appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.
Retired Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn, President Donald Trump's first National Security Adviser, has registered as a foreign agent for the Republic of Srpska, a Bosnian Serb entity led by Milorad Dodik, described as President Vladimir Putin's closest European ally. Conservative journalist Scott McMahan confirmed Flynn filed the Foreign Agent Registration Act paperwork and is receiving a monthly payment of $100,000. Trump's loyal online supporters have publicly criticized the move. Conservative personality Catturd questioned the payment's amount. Other MAGA personalities reacted, as well.Sebastian Gorka, Trump's Senior Director for Counterterrorism on the National Security Council, explained he signed two documents promising not to work for foreign governments when he joined the administration. "In one I promised to not work as a lobbyist for a decade. In the second, I promised to never work for another government. I was happy to sign both. I presume GEN Flynn also signed similar documents."The story further evolved when national security analyst and investigative journalist Ryan Mauro, reported Glenn Diesen, a Norwegian political scientist associated with Russian ultranationalist Alexander Dugin, spoke at a recent Flynn event alongside former CBS journalist and conservative commentator Lara Logan. Flynn, who previously pleaded guilty to lying to the FBI about Russian contacts before receiving a Trump pardon, has not publicly responded.Watch the video below. Your browser does not support the video tag.
Some of Donald Trump's most loyal online supporters are pushing back against retired Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn, Trump's first national security adviser, after a report revealed he has registered as a foreign agent for a Bosnian Serb entity led by one of Vladimir Putin's closest European allies.Scott McMahan, a conservative journalist who writes under the handle BiggerTruth and first reported the story roughly a month ago, confirmed Monday that Flynn has filed paperwork with the Justice Department's Foreign Agent Registration Act database on behalf of the Republic of Srpska, the Serb-dominated entity within Bosnia and Herzegovina. The entity is led by Milorad Dodik, a Bosnian Serb politician widely described as Putin's most vocal ally in the Balkans. According to McMahan's reporting, Flynn is being paid $100,000 per month.Catturd, the anonymous conservative social media personality with millions of followers and one of the MAGA movement's most recognizable voices, reacted with two words: "$100,000 per month?"Sebastian Gorka, the Hungarian-American who serves as Trump's Senior Director for Counterterrorism on the National Security Council, took a more pointed approach. "When I joined the first Trump Administration, I was asked to sign two documents," he wrote. "In one I promised to not work as a lobbyist for a decade. In the second, I promised to never work for another government. I was happy to sign both. I presume GEN Flynn also signed similar documents."Brenden Dilley, a conservative media personality and MAGA influencer, said he needed independent confirmation and tagged far-right commentator Laura Loomer directly. "Wait wtf is this? Can you confirm this for me?" he wrote to Loomer.The story grew more complicated when Ryan Mauro, a national security analyst and investigative journalist, reported that Glenn Diesen, a Norwegian political scientist described as a close associate of Alexander Dugin, the Russian ultranationalist philosopher sometimes called "Putin's brain," spoke at an event led by Flynn last week. Conservative commentator and former CBS journalist Lara Logan also participated in the event, Mauro reported.Flynn, who pleaded guilty to lying to the FBI about his contacts with Russian officials before being pardoned by Trump, has not publicly responded to the FARA filing or the criticism from within MAGA world.$100,000 per month? https://t.co/JBrAVqZzqh— Catturd ™ (@catturd2) June 1, 2026
CNN co-host Sara Sidner was bewildered on Tuesday after President Donald Trump announced Bill Pulte would take on the role of Director of National Intelligence while also serving in his current role as director of the Federal Housing Finance Agency. Trump announced on Truth Social that Pulte would take over after Tulsi Gabbard announced her resignation. Pulte is known for helping Trump find a way to target New York Attorney General Letitia James, a March report revealed. He sifted through James' mortgage application, searching for errors. He then claimed she "committed insurance fraud" and bank fraud when she listed two residences as her primary residence. The charges were ultimately dismissed without prejudice. He targeted a member of the Board of Governors at the Federal Reserve, Lisa Cook, using the same tactic. Gabbard had been using her office to question the 2020 election and "examine" voting machines in Puerto Rico. Trump argued that because Pulte is an expert at "the safety and soundness of the Markets," he is perfect for the top national security official in the country. He will oversee all of the intelligence community in government, including the FBI, CIA, Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) and the National Security Agency (NSA). The post also advises the National Security Council and the Department of Homeland Security on intelligence matters. Still, Trump said Pulte would do the job and "remain" in his current jobs, including as chairman of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. Pulte's responsibilities will be key given that the U.S. is at war with Iran. "I just want to confirm that he's going to take this director of national intelligence job and do the other jobs that are full-time work as well. Did I hear you right?" asked Sidner. "That is what the president said. We have to see, though, how this is going to work," said White House correspondent Alayna Treene. - YouTube youtu.be
In Uganda and the Democratic Republic of Congo, there are more than 900 suspected Ebola cases.