Trump taps Bill Pulte to run the intelligence community during confirmation delay

Bill Pulte, head of the Federal Housing Finance Agency, becomes acting director of national intelligence after a political tug-of-war over the post, as Senate confirmation hearings for Jay Clayton are put on hold. Pulte has no intelligence background but is seen as a Trump ally; Democrats have criticized him for pursuing political investigations, and a GAO probe examined whether he improperly accessed opponents’ financial data. With Clayton’s nomination stalled, Pulte will oversee the 18 U.S. spy agencies in an interim capacity.