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Intelligence Democrats are warning acting Director of National Intelligence (DNI) Bill Pulte from carrying out sweeping firings or improperly declassifying intelligence as Congress braces for the controversial new intelligence chief’s full first week on the job.
Pulte, who also remains the head of a federal housing agency, was tapped by Trump to lead the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) on an acting basis, an appointment that sidesteps the traditional Senate confirmation required for the role.
The acting official, who was slated to start Friday, has reportedly already asked for a list of employees at the agency.
“Given your lack of experience within the Intelligence Community, it is difficult to imagine that in such a short amount of time you have already developed fully informed views as to how to shrink ODNI without incurring risks to national security,” Rep. Jim Himes (Conn.), the top Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee and his counterpart in the Senate, Sen. Mark Warner (D-Va.) wrote to Pulte.
“Making significant structural changes to ODNI, to include a reduction in force, is not an appropriate course of action for anyone in an acting capacity, let alone without consultation with Congress, and you should refrain from doing so.”
President Trump has previously said he hopes Pulte will be “less shackled” because he will only be serving temporarily, and will use the job to shrink the size of the ODNI.
Politico reported Friday that Pulte directed staff to pull together a list of 300 employees to hire from the roughly 1,000 at the National Counterterrorism Center.
CNN also reported that Pulte showed up Thursday, a day before he was supposed to begin, and demanded a list of every person working at the agency.
ODNI did not respond to a request for comment.
Pulte’s predecessor, Tulsi Gabbard, had already carried out widespread firings under a plan she deemed ODNI 2.0 that called for firing roughly 40 percent of the agency.
“While there is room to consider responsible reductions to ODNI’s workforce, any large cuts would follow on a substantial downsizing that has already occurred in 2025 and risk jeopardizing the mission of an organization explicitly created after 9/11 to prevent any future such terrorist attack,” the two Democrats wrote.
Pulte maintains his role as director of the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA), where he referred several Trump foes for criminal prosecution over alleged mortgage fraud – prompting claims he improperly used the agency’s data.
He has been a lightning rod on both sides of the aisle, with a number of Senate Republicans also voicing concern over Trump’s pick. That includes Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) who said the country doesn’t need a “weaponized” DNI.
Himes and Warner also cautioned Pulte against releasing intelligence products.
“We are concerned that your record as Director of the Federal Housing Finance Agency demonstrates a willingness to misuse your position, including your access to sensitive information, to pursue President Trump’s perceived political enemies and further his retributive political agenda,” they wrote.
“Given the extremely sensitive nature of intelligence, we expect that you will not declassify properly classified information that would compromise intelligence sources and methods, or weaponize the declassification process for partisan political purposes.”
Gabbard during her tenure also declassified and released a number of materials, including many about the 2016 election. While she claimed the documents showed a “treasonous conspiracy,” they showed Obama-era officials discussing what they had said publicly – that Russia was never able to alter vote totals.
Trump has nominated a long-term DNI, Jay Clayton, the former Securities and Exchange Commission chair who now serves as a U.S. attorney. But Trump intervened and instructed Clayton not to appeal for his nomination hearing last week as the Senate moved to fast-track Clayton in the hopes of keeping Pulte out of the job.
The letter also included a warning to Pulte to expect investigations into his tenure, regardless of length.
“Preserving federal records and safeguarding information critical to congressional oversight is a legal obligation that you and all employees of the ODNI are required to meet,” they wrote, something that includes messages sent using encryption.
Add as preferred source on Google Tags Bill Pulte Jay Clayton Jim Himes John Thune Mark Warner Obama Tulsi GabbardCopyright 2026 Nexstar Media Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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