President Donald Trump's pick to lead the entire U.S. intelligence community has never held a security clearance of any kind before being handed the job, CNN reported Thursday — and the vetting process wasn't even initiated until days after the announcement.
Bill Pulte, a wealthy housing finance official and grandson of the founder of homebuilding giant PulteGroup, was tapped Tuesday by Trump to serve as acting director of national intelligence, replacing outgoing DNI Tulsi Gabbard. He has no background in intelligence, espionage, or national security.
Three sources told CNN there is "no evidence that Pulte previously maintained even the lowest form of security clearance" before being named to oversee all 18 U.S. intelligence agencies — including the CIA and NSA. He had also never been vetted for potential security vulnerabilities, a standard requirement for senior intelligence roles. One source said flatly, "None," when asked whether Pulte had gone through any prior vetting.
"The director of national intelligence has access to all of our most classified intelligence," Sen. Mark Warner (D-VA), the top Democrat on the Senate Intelligence Committee, told CNN. There is no evidence that Pulte "would respect those classifications," Warner added.
The criticism is bipartisan. Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) told reporters, "We don't need a weaponized DNI. We need professionals there." Sen. Thom Tillis (R-NC) said Pulte has "no path in the Senate."
Trump himself appeared to confirm that election conspiracy theories drove the pick, telling reporters Thursday: "He may find out some things about the rigged elections."
When asked about Pulte's qualifications, Trump said, "I wasn't greatly experienced in national security." He added, "he's not going to be permanent."
The law creating the DNI position in 2004 requires that nominees have "extensive national security expertise."
