GOP House Intel Chair Tells Fox Trump’s DNI Pick’s Lack of Experience is Actually a Good Thing: Didn’t Try to ‘Coup’

House Intelligence Committee Chairman Rick Crawford (R-AR) told Fox News’s Maria Bartiromo Thursday that Bill Pulte’s lack of intelligence experience is actually a good thing.

President Donald Trump appointed Pulte as acting director of the Department of National Intelligence to fill the void left by Tulsi Gabbard, just as Congress is debating the renewal of Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA), which temporarily expires on June 12.

Pulte currently serves as  Trump’s director of the Federal Housing Finance Agency and the chairman of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. He has led the charge in alleging mortgage fraud against several of the president’s foes, including New York Attorney General Letitia James and Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook.

Democrats and some Republicans hit out at Trump’s choice, arguing Pulte’s lack of intelligence experience and his propensity to allegedly “weaponize” the government.

“The fact that these Democrats over in the Senate are wringing their hands about a potential nominee — he’s an acting DNI, that’s what the president has stated, so, it’s not as though he needs their opinion, because he’s acting — he’s not asking for him to be confirmed,” Crawford said.

“Let me put a little bit of historic context here,” Crawford said, continuing:

The argument is that he doesn’t have national security experience. Well, take a look at some of the people that did have national security experience.  People like John Brennan and James Clapper. James Clapper was the DNI under [Barack] Obama. He helped orchestrate the Russia collusion hoax against President Trump. That’s what I see experience gets you. If that’s all you’re worried about,  then maybe you should think about something else. This guy, whether anybody knows about him or not, at least he’s not guilty of trying to orchestrate a coup against a sitting president of the United States. So, I would say that bodes well for him.

As far as the Democrats using this as an excuse to say no to 702. You’re saying no to national security because you’re butt hurt about the fact that you weren’t consulted about a nominee that the president has put forward in an acting capacity. So, get over yourselves for five minutes. Let’s worry about national security and get on to the next challenge.

“It’s a great point that you make all around, congressman, I’ve got to say,” Bartiromo said. “And particularly the point about John Brennan and Clapper who made up stories and pushed this lie of Russia collusion, and they had all the experience that the Democrats are referring to.”

Watch the clip above via Mornings With Maria on the Fox Business Network.

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