CNN Analyst Warns Trump Just Installed a ‘Political Arsonist’ As Head of US Intelligence

Jon Cypher, former deputy chief of the CIA’s Russia operations, warned that President Donald Trump has installed a “political arsonist” to temporarily head up the Department of National Intelligence.

Trump named Bill Pulte as his acting intel chief after Tulsi Gabbard announced she was stepping down, despite Pulte’s lack of any intelligence experience or top secret clearance. The president delayed the Senate hearing for permanent nominee Jay Clayton so Pulte ostensibly could have more time in office.

“It’s clear that every day, more and more, the president wants somebody in that job whose job is just to be a political hatchet man — cherry pick intelligence so they can…fire people they don’t like,” Cypher told CNN’s Omar Jimenez.

As the director of Trump’s Federal Housing Finance Agency, Pulte went after the president’s perceived enemies for alleged mortgage fraud, including New York Attorney General Letitia James and Sen. Adam Schiff (D-CA).

Pulte showed up early to his new job at DNI this week, and is reportedly eyeing hundreds of potential firings.

“So, clearly it looks like the president put an arsonist in charge and then hoped that the Senate would push back so that he can then bully the Senate to get what he wants on this voting thing,” Cypher said of Trump’s desire for the Senate to pass the SAVE America Act, requiring voter I.D.

“Democrats held up [FISA] renewal over Pulte’s appointment as acting DNI, and President Trump now also says he’ll refuse to sign any FISA reauthorization unless this voting bill, the SAVE Act, is attached to it or also passed,” Cypher explained.

“So it’s going to be interesting to see, because I do think there are a mixture of Republicans, Democrats who will come together on this because Pulte is, like I said, a political arsonist, and is quite dangerous in that position,” Cypher added.

Cypher described the expiring Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act as “a complicated thing.”

“It’s essentially collecting foreign intelligence over the airwaves,” Cypher said. “If someone’s on computers or phones overseas and it works its way through United States infrastructure, we need to have a means to collect that. It’s it’s been complicated, but I think this is just a political game to try to stop somebody like Pulte being in charge. And so, it’s gonna be interesting to see if Democrats and Republicans will work together, because this person is so unfit for the job.”

Watch the clip above via CNN.

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