Trump loyalist Pulte gets oversight of vast U.S. intel

President Trump on Tuesday picked Federal Housing Finance Agency Director Bill Pulte to lead the U.S. intelligence community, elevating a MAGA loyalist to one of the government's most powerful national security posts. Why it matters: President Trump's decision to install Pulte atop the nation's intelligence network gives the MAGA enforcer wide-ranging access to vast amounts of data the government collects. Between the lines: Critics questioned Pulte's independence in leading the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI), citing investigations he launched as FHFA director into figures Trump has publicly criticized, including New York Attorney General Letitia James and Sen. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.). Pulte will replace outgoing Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard , under whose leadership ODNI sought edits to a report on Venezuela that drew political scrutiny — leading to allegations that intelligence was being politicized, which she denied. Critics warn he could further politicize what's designed to be an objective, apolitical process of synthesizing intelligence that agencies collect to produce reports for the president, other senior officials and the public. Pulte would likely follow Gabbard in going after the " deep state " — career intelligence officials that some in MAGA-world believe conspired against Trump. Here's what the DNI does and what intelligence it has access to: What does the Office of the DNI do? The Office of the DNI is a centralized office that coordinates and oversees the operations of the nation's 18 intelligence agencies , including the National Security Agency and the Central Intelligence Agency. Congress created it following the Sept. 11 attacks, after reviews found intelligence-sharing failures contributed to missed warning signs. What does the director do? The DNI serves as the president's top intelligence adviser and is a Cabinet-level official responsible for preparing the p...

Original source: Axios