US President Donald Trump on Tuesday announced that William J. Pulte, the director of the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA), will serve as the interim Director of National Intelligence (DNI). The appointment comes ahead of Tulsi Gabbard’s departure from the role later this month.
Pulte will continue to lead the FHFA while also retaining his positions as chairman of the Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation (Freddie Mac) and the Federal National Mortgage Association (Fannie Mae).
Announcing it on Truth Social, Trump praised Pulte’s experience and wrote, “William has deep experience managing the most sensitive matters in America, the safety and soundness of the Markets, and over 10 Trillion Dollars at Fannie Mae/Freddie Mac, a substantial increase from where it was just 12 months ago…Congratulation to Director Pulte!”
Who is William Pulte?
Pulte, 38, was sworn in as FHFA director in March last year, becoming the fifth person to hold the position. A graduate of Northwestern University, he built his career in homebuilding, housing products and community development. In 2011, he founded Pulte Capital Partners LLC, an investment firm focused on building and housing products, before later taking charge of the FHFA.
Pulte currently heads the FHFA, the agency that regulates the US housing finance system, including mortgage giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. According to Trump’s announcement, he will continue leading all three organisations while also serving as acting DNI.
Trump pointed out that Pulte’s oversight of the US mortgage market and his responsibility for managing trillions of dollars in housing-related assets. The president said Pulte has experience handling “the most sensitive matters in America” and pointed to his leadership of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, which support a large share of the US housing market.
Controversial tenure at FHFA
According to CBS News, Pulte has become one of the administration’s more controversial officials because of his efforts to pursue allegations of mortgage fraud involving several prominent political figures.
During his time at the FHFA, Pulte sent criminal referrals to the Justice Department involving several of Trump’s political opponents, including New York Attorney General Letitia James, Senator Adam Schiff, Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook and former Congressman Eric Swalwell.
Those actions drew significant political attention and scrutiny, making his appointment to oversee the US intelligence community a notable development.
Tulsi Gabbard’s exit
On May 23, Tulsi Gabbard announced that she would step down as Director of National Intelligence, with her final day in office set for June 30.
Gabbard said she was leaving the position to be with her husband, Abraham Williams, who has been diagnosed with an “extremely rare form of bone cancer.”
She has served as the eighth DNI since February 2025. While reports suggested she had differences with Trump over the Iran war and was opposed to military action, Gabbard cited her husband’s cancer diagnosis as the reason for her resignation.