Trump: Pulte “not going to be permanent”

President Trump told reporters Thursday that acting Director of National Intelligence Bill Pulte will not be appointed to the role permanently.

“He’s not going to be permanent, because you know, I don’t think he’d want to be permanent,” he said in the Oval Office. “We’re interviewing people right now but it’s somebody just to take it over for a little while.”

The president named Mr. Pulte, the current head of the Federal Housing Finance Agency, to the acting DNI role on Tuesday to replace Tulsi Gabbard, who announced her intention to step down last month.

The appointment was met with skepticism on Capitol Hill because Mr. Pulte has no background in national security matters and is best known for using his position atop the regulatory agency to press for investigations into the president’s political adversaries.

President Trump indicated Mr. Pulte would be focused on investigating “rigged elections” during his time in the position.

“He’s a very smart guy, and you may find out some things about the rigged elections, etc.,” he told reporters.

The president also said he believed Mr. Pulte has the necessary qualifications for the job of overseeing the nation’s 18 intelligence agencies.

“I think he does because he’s smart,” he said. “I wasn’t greatly experienced in national security, and I think I’ve done a really great job with it.”

“Bill is a guy that will be able to figure it out very quickly,” he added. “Again, it’s short term but he may be very effective for a short period of time.”

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