President Donald Trump revealed Wednesday that he instructed acting Director of National Intelligence Bill Pulte to declassify "almost everything" during his brief tenure at the agency's helm. The directive, issued en route to North Dakota, has intensified scrutiny over Pulte's qualifications and the potential for intelligence to be exploited for political gain.
"Bill is there just for a fairly short period of time. But while he's there, I said you can declassify whatever you want," Trump told reporters. He added, "I think that Bill will declassify. I told him you can declassify whatever you want."
Pulte, who previously led the Federal Housing Finance Agency overseeing Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, has been a divisive figure since his appointment. Critics point to his lack of intelligence experience and his history of targeting Trump's political adversaries through criminal referrals from his housing role. His first day on the job included a wave of layoffs at the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, further unsettling career staff.
Trump emphasized that Pulte's role is temporary, with former SEC Chair Jay Clayton slated to take over permanently. Clayton's nomination was pulled from a confirmation hearing last month but is now set for a hearing in two weeks, according to Trump. "We have Jay Clayton who is going in. You know Bill Pulte is a very talented guy, but he's just there temporarily until Jay Clayton," the president said.
The declassification push aligns with a broader White House effort to release intelligence documents that could bolster Trump's claims about past elections, as reported by NBC News. Lawmakers from both parties have voiced concerns about Pulte's security clearance gaps and the risk of politicizing the intelligence community. In his prior role, Pulte made criminal referrals against several of Trump's political enemies, raising fears he could weaponize his new position.
Trump's trip to North Dakota, where he debuted a Qatari-gifted jet, comes amid a volatile political landscape. The directive to Pulte underscores the administration's willingness to leverage intelligence for political narratives, a move that critics say threatens national security and institutional integrity. As the Senate prepares for Clayton's confirmation, the interim period under Pulte remains a flashpoint for debate over the boundaries of executive power and intelligence oversight.
