Trump taps housing regulator Bill Pulte as acting intelligence chief

US President Donald Trump has named federal housing regulator Bill Pulte as acting director of national intelligence, entrusting oversight of America’s intelligence agencies to a close political ally whose career has been rooted in housing finance rather than national security.

The move places the 38-year-old director of the Federal Housing Finance Agency at the helm of the nation’s intelligence community that oversees 18 agencies, including the CIA and National Security Agency, while allowing him to retain his existing responsibilities regulating the mortgage market.

The appointment is likely to draw scrutiny because it places a Trump loyalist with no known intelligence background atop the group responsible for assessing threats from countries including China, Russia, Iran and North Korea. Yet Pulte has increasingly framed parts of his work at the housing regulator through a national security lens, including investigations he said involved alleged Chinese and North Korean operatives.

In a post on social media announcing his appointment, Trump praised Pulte’s management of government-backed mortgage giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.

“William has deep experience managing the most sensitive matters in America, the safety and soundness of the Markets, and over 10 Trillion Dollars at Fannie Mae/Freddie Mac,” Trump wrote.