One Reason Trump Might Have Chosen His New Intelligence Chief

This is an edition of The Atlantic Daily, a newsletter that guides you through the biggest stories of the day, helps you discover new ideas, and recommends the best in culture. Sign up for it here.There are two reasonable reactions to the news that Bill Pulte has been named acting director of national intelligence: “Who?” and “Him?” Pulte, the current head of the Federal Housing Finance Agency, will replace Tulsi Gabbard, who announced her departure last month after an unhappy and unempowered spell as the DNI.Pulte is taking the post on an interim basis, becoming the latest administration official to do multiple jobs. In some cases, such as Marco Rubio’s dual roles as secretary of state and national security adviser, obvious connections exist between the jobs. In others, such as Rubio’s stint as the national archivist, they do not. Pulte is in the latter camp. Knowing how long he might be in the job is impossible. Donald Trump has in the past shown little eagerness to fill roles. He prefers to have loyalists on hand, and he might struggle to find anyone qualified who is willing to serve. Besides, the Senate, which has already been slow to confirm some appointees, is currently gummed up on other business.Three things about Pulte are important to know: First, he has no apparent intelligence experience. Second, he is being assigned to fill an important government-coordination position, but his brief track record shows that he has a tendency to clash with and infuriate colleagues rather than work with them. Third, the most notable thing that Pulte does bring to the role is a demonstrated history of using sensitive government data for political retribution.The law that established the DNI states that “any individual nominated for appointment as Director of National Intelligence shall have extensive national security expertise.” When Trump appointed Gabbard—a former Democratic member of Congress who endorsed him in 2024—she became by far the least-qualified person to ever