Trump Confirms Bill Pulte Will Be Running U.S. Intelligence For a ‘Short While’

President Donald Trump confirmed Thursday that Bill Pulte will continue running U.S. intelligence for a “short while” until his latest nominee takes over — if confirmed.

Last week, Trump stunned lawmakers across the political spectrum when he announced that Pulte would serve as the acting Director of National Intelligence. Critics of the move pointed to Pulte’s lack of experience in the intelligence field, but Trump remained firm in his decision.

On Thursday, Trump formally announced his nomination of Jay Clayton as the next DNI. Clayton, currently serving as the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York, is also the former chair of the Securities and Exchange Commission.

During a press conference in the White House, Trump was asked Pulte’s status as acting DNI. The president explained that Pulte would continue serving until Clayton’s tenure was set to begin, saying:

He’s only there for a little while. He’s running it for a short while, while we get a very talented person, Jay Clayton, in. As you know, Jay Clayton’s an incredible talent. Head of Sullivan & Cromwell. He was head of the SEC. He’s now Southern District. I mean, nobody has better credentials, but Bill will run for a short while.

In recent months, Pulte was primarily known for leading the charge in the Trump administration’s push to indict his political foes for alleged mortgage fraud. Pulte was also a key proponent of the controversial 50-year mortgage plan.

Axios’s Marc Caputo noted Pulte is likely to “fire lots of people & make ODNI a coordinator agency.”

Watch above via CNN

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