Overview
- Pulte assumed the acting DNI role on Friday and showed up a day early to ODNI, where he requested a list of every employee and met with lawyers and staff to review operations.
- He has asked about his security clearance, whether he can take the President’s Daily Briefing home, and if he will have access to a government plane, actions that alarmed intelligence officials.
- Multiple reports say Pulte is considering cutting hundreds of ODNI jobs after President Trump directed him to shrink the office and return staff to their home agencies.
- His elevation has stalled Senate action: Democrats withheld support for a FISA Section 702 extension and the White House postponed Jay Clayton’s confirmation hearing, leaving the surveillance law lapsed and oversight fights unresolved.
- Oversight risks are increasing because Pulte still leads the FHFA under a GAO inquiry into his use of agency data, and he may inherit a suppressed voting‑machine vulnerability report that critics say could be used to influence the 2026 midterms.