Rep. Jim Himes says Bill Pulte in intelligence role is Trump's "worst and most dangerous" appointment

Source: CBS News

June 7, 2026 / 11:16 AM EDT


Washington — Rep. Jim Himes of Connecticut, the top Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee, lambasted President Trump's appointment of Bill Pulte, a controversial housing official, to serve as acting director of national intelligence. Mr. Trump's choice of Pulte, who had been the director of the Federal Housing Finance Agency, has drawn backlash from Democrats and some Republicans, who say it risks the reauthorization of a key warrantless surveillance program — Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act — that expires Friday.

"He doesn't have an iota of national security experience and the president is putting him in this most sensitive of roles," Himes said in an interview Sunday with "Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan." "In the basket of awful appointments he has made, this is probably the worst and most dangerous," Himes said. "He doesn't like to back down, but he's also not going to like the terrorist attacks that might happen if there is no 702 collection authority."

National security officials have long argued that the law is vital for disrupting terrorist plots, foreign espionage, international drug trafficking and cyber intrusions.

Himes noted the timing of the appointment ahead of Friday's deadline — which Congress has already punted twice through short-term extensions — saying it has taken reauthorization "off the table." "You just could not have come up with worse timing for what is probably the worst appointment into the intelligence community that I've ever seen," he said. "If we had to pass another bill in the context of Bill Pulte, I don't think we could."

Read more: https://www.cbsnews.com/news/jim-himes-bill-pulte-director-of-national-intelligence-fisa-702-reauthorization/