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Jeffries: No FISA Reauthorization with Pulte as DNI
Posted
June 8, 2026
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June 8, 2026
16,500
544
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4.95%
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2:20Now PlayingHouse Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) on Monday said Democrats will oppose an extension of a key spy power so long as Bill Pulte is acting director of national intelligence, calling him a "political hack" and "malignant clown."
"The negotiations prior to Trump's announcement with respect to Bill Pulte were already in a very sensitive place, and then Donald Trump, as he often does, tosses a hand grenade into those sensitive negotiations by elevating Bill Pulte," Rep. Jeffries told reporters.
Mr. Pulte, the director of the Federal Housing Finance Agency, who has no experience in national security matters, was tapped by President Trump last week to replace Tulsi Gabbard as the head of the nation's 18 intelligence agencies, beginning in July.
The appointment, which does not require Senate confirmation unless the president wants to nominate him full time, was met with deep skepticism on Capitol Hill by Democrats and Republicans alike and is threatening to derail the reauthorization of Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA).
Section 702 allows the government to monitor the communications of foreigners abroad without a warrant. The intelligence community views it as an essential tool, but lawmakers in both parties have raised concerns about Americans' data being incidentally swept up as part of the program.
The announcement of Mr. Pulte to oversee the intelligence community is causing Democrats to pull their support for a bipartisan bill to reauthorize the FISA program for another three years.
Almost every Senate Democrat joined seven GOP senators on Friday to prevent the bill from advancing in the upper chamber. Democratic votes will also be necessary in the House, and it's unclear how leaders will proceed, with the program's authorization expiring Friday.
Rep. Jeffries said there are ongoing talks being led by Rep. Jim Himes (D-CT) on how to move forward, but that at a minimum, Democrats would need to see Mr. Pulte's appointment reversed.
"Clearly, to get to good-faith negotiations, the effort to elevate Bill Pulte as the acting director of national intelligence should be reversed immediately. And then let's see where we wind up by the end of the week," Rep. Jeffries said.
#hakeemjeffries #billpulte #dni #fisa #cspan
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