President Trump appoints acting director of national intelligence

Yesterday, President Donald Trump appointed Bill Pulte as acting director of national intelligence to replace Tulsi Gabbard when she steps down at the end of the month. As a federal housing regulator, Pulte aggressively pursued mortgage fraud accusations against the president’s Democratic opponents and was a leading voice in efforts to remove then Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell. He has no intelligence experience, despite a federal statute requiring extensive national security credentials in the role. This fact has prompted many to speculate that the appointment signals preparations to prosecute Trump’s domestic political enemies. Generally, the attorney general handles domestic prosecutions, while the director of national intelligence focuses on protecting America from foreign threats like drug cartels and terrorist cells.