Trump Put His Housing Official — Who Had No Security Clearance, No Intelligence Experience, and Asked If He Could Take the Presidential Daily Brief Home — in Charge of 18 Spy Agencies, Then Told Him to Mass-Fire Intelligence Workers: He's Fired 50+ Officials, Plans to Cut 300-400 from the Counterterrorism Center Built After 9/11, and Even Republicans Say "We Don't Need a Weaponized DNI"

Acting Director of National Intelligence Bill Pulte — who had no security clearance, no intelligence experience, and previously ran the Federal Housing Finance Agency where he filed criminal referrals against Trump's political enemies for alleged mortgage fraud — began mass-firing intelligence officials on July 2, sending termination notices to over 50 career intelligence professionals. Pulte has ordered staff to identify 300-400 employees for dismissal from the National Counterterrorism Center, the operations floor built after 9/11 where CIA, FBI, and ODNI personnel monitor active terrorist threats. He was appointed after Tulsi Gabbard resigned as DNI in May, citing her husband's cancer diagnosis. Trump had nominated Jay Clayton as permanent DNI but then sabotaged his own nominee's confirmation hearing, canceling it hours before it was scheduled and conditioning it on Congress passing the SAVE Act voter ID bill — which the Senate has rejected twice. This caused FISA Section 702 surveillance authority to lapse for the first time in history, as Democrats refused to reauthorize it with an unvetted acting DNI. Senator Mark Warner revealed Pulte asked to take the Presidential Daily Brief home — "the most classified information" in government — and "didn't even know" that was against the law. In his only briefing at ODNI, Pulte asked what level security clearance he had and whether he got a government plane. At FHFA, Pulte filed criminal referrals against Senator Adam Schiff, Fed Governor Lisa Cook, AG Letitia James, and Rep. Eric Swalwell — all Democrats — using Palantir AI tools to search mortgage records of Trump's perceived opponents. Trump told Pulte he could declassify "whatever" he wants. Senate Majority Leader John Thune: "We don't need a weaponized DNI. We need professionals there." A former intelligence official: "This is a fantasy. It only hurts U.S. national security, and it's helpful to Russia, China, and Iran." Another: "It would be like me taking over a hospital and firing dozens of surgeons in a matter of days." Rep. Jim Himes: "If he just starts willy-nilly firing people, it is going to increase the probability that there is a terrorist attack inside the United States." Gabbard had already cut ODNI by 30% — over 500 staffers. Pulte is cutting deeper. The agency created to prevent another 9/11 is now being dismantled by a man who didn't know he couldn't bring classified documents to his house.

The man in charge of America's 18 intelligence agencies had no security clearance, no intelligence experience, and asked in his first briefing whether he could take the Presidential Daily Brief home. He is now firing hundreds of people whose job is to prevent terrorist attacks.

Who is Bill Pulte

William J. Pulte is the director of the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) and chairman of mortgage giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. He is the grandson of homebuilder William Pulte, founder of PulteGroup. He has no background in intelligence, national security, or foreign policy. He did not previously hold a security clearance of any level.

On June 2, 2026, Trump named Pulte acting Director of National Intelligence — the head of the office that oversees the CIA, NSA, FBI intelligence division, and 15 other agencies. He continues to serve simultaneously as FHFA director.

It is the first time since the ODNI was created after September 11, 2001, that it has been led by someone with no prior intelligence experience and no prior security clearance.

His first briefing

Senator Mark Warner (D-VA), vice chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, described what happened when Pulte received his introductory briefing at ODNI:

"He basically also was asking to take home the presidential daily brief, which includes our most classified information. Taking it to an unsecure location is against the law. This character didn't even know that, and he's in charge of our intelligence agencies."

During that same briefing — which was meant to explain the core mission of the ODNI to the new acting director — Pulte also asked:

What level of security clearance he had
Whether he had access to a government plane

He had not been previously vetted for potential security vulnerabilities, a process typically required for senior intelligence community roles.

What he did at FHFA

Before taking over U.S. intelligence, Pulte used the housing agency to target Trump's political enemies. He filed criminal referrals to the DOJ against:

Senator Adam Schiff (D-CA) — alleged mortgage fraud
Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook — allegedly claiming two properties as primary residences
New York Attorney General Letitia James — alleged mortgage and insurance fraud
Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-CA) — alleged mortgage fraud

All four are Democrats. All four are prominent Trump critics. Cook's lawyers accused Pulte of "cherry-picking" mortgage data to build cases and alleged the FHFA was conducting "deep-sea fishing expeditions" of Americans' financial records using Palantir AI tools to deliver opposition research on officials who had held Trump accountable.

The James case was eventually dismissed by a federal judge, who ruled the prosecutor lacked legal authority to bring charges. The GAO opened an investigation into Pulte's referrals; results are expected in late 2026 or early 2027.

Senator Elizabeth Warren called Pulte a "lackey" who spent his time at FHFA "abusing his authority to attack the President's perceived political enemies." Senator Chuck Schumer called him "a partisan thug with no experience in intelligence."

How he got the job

Pulte replaced Tulsi Gabbard, who resigned as DNI on May 22, effective June 30, to care for her husband Abraham, diagnosed with a rare form of bone cancer. Gabbard was the fourth Cabinet member to leave in 2026, after AG Pam Bondi, DHS Secretary Kristi Noem, and Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer.

Trump had nominated Jay Clayton — the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York and former SEC chairman — as permanent DNI. The Senate scheduled a confirmation hearing for June 17. Then, hours before the hearing, Trump canceled it.

Trump posted on Truth Social that he was "cancelling the Senate Hearing RE: DNI today" and would not proceed until Congress passed the SAVE America Act — a voter ID bill the Senate has rejected twice. He also conditioned it on the confirmation of a separate nominee for U.S. Attorney.

Senate Intelligence Committee Chair Tom Cotton initially defied Trump, saying the hearing would proceed. He then reversed himself, calling the cancellation "regrettable." Senator Warner said he wasn't sure "whether Jay Clayton has simply been postponed or withdrawn. I wonder whether Jay Clayton knows whether he has been postponed or withdrawn."

Republican Senator Kevin Cramer: "Frankly, I was disappointed again that while Sen. Thune has very meticulously and skillfully managed a process that ends up with another Trump victory gets upended by an impulsive post of some sort. It's frustrating, but it's also not that abnormal these days."

FISA lapses for the first time

The Clayton debacle caused Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act to lapse for the first time in history. Democrats refused to reauthorize the warrantless surveillance authority with an unvetted acting DNI in charge. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth had warned the lapse would be "devastating to our national security."

Senator John Cornyn (R-TX) noted that "60% of the President's Daily Brief is materials generated by FISA 702." The surveillance tool Trump himself depends on for daily intelligence briefings was disabled because Trump sabotaged his own nominee's hearing over a voter ID bill.

The firings

Gabbard had already cut the ODNI by approximately 30% — more than 500 staffers — and stated she planned to reach 40%, bringing headcount to around 1,300. She estimated savings of $700 million annually.

Pulte is cutting deeper. The timeline:

Late June: Pulte fired six political appointees chosen by Gabbard and sent 45 others back to their home agencies
July 2: Pulte sent termination notices to dozens more career intelligence officials
Upcoming: Pulte has ordered staff to identify 300 to 400 employees for dismissal from the National Counterterrorism Center (NCTC)

The stated reason: the officials are "deep state" employees who have "failed to provide complete pictures of available intelligence."

Trump told Pulte he could declassify "whatever" he wants and "almost everything" — a sweeping grant of authority that alarmed former officials who warned careless releases could expose intelligence sources and methods.

The National Counterterrorism Center

The NCTC is the operations floor created after September 11, 2001, specifically to prevent another catastrophic intelligence failure. It is where CIA, FBI, and ODNI personnel sit side by side, monitoring active terrorist threats in real time.

Rep. Jim Himes (D-CT), ranking member of the House Intelligence Committee:

"There is an operations floor where people from CIA and the ODNI and FBI are staring into screens watching terrorist plots unfold, watching very bad people all over this country. It's called the National Counterterrorism Center, and it's inside the ODNI."

And:

"If he just starts willy-nilly firing people, it is going to increase the probability that there is a terrorist attack inside the United States."

Pulte plans to fire up to 400 of the NCTC's roughly 1,000 employees.

The reaction

The criticism has been bipartisan and overwhelming:

Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD): "We don't need a weaponized DNI. We need professionals there."

Senator John Cornyn (R-TX): "I'm still seeking any evidence of qualifications."

Four former senior intelligence officials spoke to MSNBC. One said the firing rationale — that career officials withheld intelligence — is "a fantasy":

"This is a fantasy. It only hurts U.S. national security, and it's helpful to Russia, China, and Iran."

Another questioned how Pulte could evaluate intelligence professionals he just met:

"I have a real question of how he would know this. This isn't a guy who is familiar with intelligence. It would be like me taking over a hospital and firing dozens of surgeons in a matter of days."

A third: "The overwhelming majority of professional intelligence officers are motivated by a deep and enduring commitment to protect the national security of the United States."

In a letter to Pulte, Warner and Himes wrote: "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."

What was lost

The sequence:

Gabbard disagreed with Trump on Iran intelligence, resigned
Trump nominated Clayton as permanent replacement
Trump sabotaged Clayton's hearing over the SAVE Act
FISA 702 lapsed — the first time in history
Trump installed Pulte — a housing official who used Palantir to target Democrats' mortgages
Pulte asked to take classified documents home and what kind of security clearance he had
Pulte began mass-firing career intelligence officials as "deep state"
Trump told Pulte he could declassify "whatever" he wants
Pulte ordered the identification of 300-400 counterterrorism workers for dismissal

The Office of the Director of National Intelligence exists because on September 11, 2001, the intelligence community failed to share information across agencies, and 2,977 people died. The NCTC was the institutional response — an operations center where analysts from every agency could sit together and connect the dots.

The man who now runs that system did not know he couldn't bring classified documents to his house. He has no intelligence background. He spent his previous role filing criminal referrals against Democrats for mortgage paperwork. He is firing the people who watch for terrorist plots. And even Republicans are saying out loud that this is a mistake.

Thune said the country doesn't need a weaponized DNI. It got one anyway — one who is simultaneously the chairman of Fannie Mae.