Overview
- President Trump named Bill Pulte interim national intelligence coordinator on Tuesday, June 2, 2026, and said Pulte will continue to serve as chair of the Federal Housing Finance Agency and oversee Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.
- Pulte is a 38-year-old real estate entrepreneur who has led the FHFA for roughly 16 months and has no public record of experience running intelligence agencies.
- U.S. media and Democrats criticized the move because Pulte is known for public attacks on Trump’s opponents and for accusing officials such as New York Attorney General Letitia James and Fed Governor Lisa Cook of fraud.
- Tulsi Gabbard resigned as intelligence coordinator on May 22, citing her husband’s cancer and reporting that questioned her loyalty over the Iran war, leaving the post temporarily vacant until Tuesday’s appointment.
- The dual assignment could create conflicts between oversight of housing finance, where Pulte has reshaped Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac operations, and the demands of coordinating 18 intelligence agencies, so observers say to watch for ethics reviews and any congressional response.