{"id":2609928,"date":"2026-06-03T06:50:00","date_gmt":"2026-06-03T10:50:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/how-pulte-won-trump-by-being-an-attack-dog\/"},"modified":"2026-06-03T06:52:00","modified_gmt":"2026-06-03T10:52:00","slug":"how-pulte-won-trump-by-being-an-attack-dog","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/how-pulte-won-trump-by-being-an-attack-dog\/","title":{"rendered":"How Pulte won Trump by being an attack dog"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">18<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fhow-pulte-won-trump-by-being-an-attack-dog%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2609928&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>Bill Pulte, a housing-finance figure turned trump confidant, has been credited with helping shape President Donald Trump\u2019s attention toward <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\" >alleged mortgage-fraud cases involving political opponents<\/a> by referring them to the Justice Department. That prominence-along with Pulte\u2019s political connections, including frequent access to Air Force One-has reportedly helped him parlay an otherwise limited background in housing finance leadership into a Cabinet-level appointment as acting director of national intelligence.<\/p>\n<p>While Roger Stone has highlighted Pulte\u2019s rise, some lawmakers are wary about whether he has the conventional qualifications for one of the most sensitive national-security roles. Republican senators such as John Cornyn and ted Budd have questioned his credentials, and Democrats have raised concerns that the enhanced authority of the DNI could be used to target Trump\u2019s political enemies.A White House source told the *Washington Examiner* that Pulte essentially asked for the job and Trump \u201cliked\u201d him, though the source noted Senate pushback could be an issue.<\/p>\n<p>Inside the management,Pulte\u2019s aggressive political style has reportedly contributed to internal friction,including pushback involving Fed and Treasury policy debates. Even so, he remains a Trump favorite and is described as having edged out more experienced candidates. One potential alternative mentioned was former CIA Director John Ratcliffe, but federal law would bar him from the DNI role even if he had wanted it, as allies argue the DNI is more bureaucratic and intelligence-sharing oriented, whereas the CIA director position carries more operational power.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<article class=\"fn-body\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Housing finance guru <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/bill-pulte\/\" type=\"post_tag\" id=\"22738\">Bill Pulte<\/a> captured President <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/donald-trump\/\" type=\"post_tag\" id=\"4\">Donald Trump<\/a>\u2018s attention by referring the commander in chief\u2019s political enemies to the <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/justice-department\/\" type=\"post_tag\" id=\"167\">Justice Department<\/a> for criminal prosecution over allegations of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/ex-trump-aide-paul-manafort-cant-be-prosecuted-in-new-york-following-pardon-court-rules\/\" title=\"Ex...Trump Aide Paul Manafort Can\u2019t Be Prosecuted in New York Following Pardon, Court Rules\">mortgage fraud<\/a>. <\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But Pulte, a frequent flyer on Air Force One, has used his political savvy and Trump\u2019s favor to leverage an otherwise lackluster role as Federal Housing Finance Agency director and chairman of <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/fannie-mae\/\" type=\"post_tag\" id=\"5150\">Fannie Mae<\/a> and <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/freddie-mac\/\" type=\"post_tag\" id=\"5050\">Freddie Mac<\/a> into a Cabinet-level position: acting director of national intelligence.<\/p>\n<section class=\"explore-more-section\" id=\"wex-recommended-widget\">\n<div class=\"magazine-container single\">\n<h1 class=\"magazine-title mt-2\">Recommended Stories<\/h1>\n<p>             <i class=\"fa-solid fa-play icon\"><\/i>         <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-grid\">\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/white-house\/4592077\/blanche-weaponization-fund-dead-for-good\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>Todd Blanche says DOJ will not move forward with anti-weaponization fund<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/white-house\/4589290\/oz-white-house-healthcare-agenda\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>Dr. Oz press briefing helps White House sidestep controversial storylines to focus on healthcare<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/white-house\/4591573\/dr-oz-advice-trump-derangement-syndrome\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>Dr. Oz offers advice to sufferers of \u2018Trump derangement syndrome\u2019: \u2018Treating stupid is really hard\u2019<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Roger Stone <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.semafor.com\/article\/06\/02\/2026\/stone-helped-trump-choose-an-unorthodox-new-intel-adviser\">has taken credit <\/a>for Pulte\u2019s meteoric rise to the upper echelons of the intelligence community, despite concerns regarding the status of his security clearance. <\/p>\n<div class=\"article-paywall\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But a source close to the White House told the <em>Washington Examiner<\/em> Pulte got the job because, in part, he asked for it.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cHe likes Pulte. He has a soft spot for Pulte,\u201d the source said. \u201cClearly, Pulte obviously wanted it, and Trump was like, \u2018Sure, why not.\u2019 I don\u2019t know if the Senate\u2019s pushback will work or if it\u2019ll just anger Trump and make him dig in his heels.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">That explanation is doing little to reassure lawmakers who question whether Pulte possesses the traditional qualifications for one of the government\u2019s most sensitive national security jobs.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Republican senators, some of whom were already rankled by Trump\u2019s now-defunct anti-weaponization fund and his endorsement of Ken Paxton in Texas\u2019s Senate race, have expressed skepticism regarding Pulte\u2019s credentials.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cI don\u2019t see any evidence of qualifications for that job, but I\u2019m willing to, willing to listen,\u201d Sen. <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/john-cornyn\/\" type=\"post_tag\" id=\"965\">John Cornyn<\/a> (R-TX), Paxton\u2019s former foe in that Senate race, told reporters.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Sen. Ted Budd (R-NC) similarly called Pulte an \u201cinteresting choice.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The White House on Tuesday reiterated that Trump \u201cchooses the best and most talented people to serve in his Cabinet.\u201d <\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThat is why this administration has achieved record successes for the American people,\u201d White House spokesman Davis Ingle told the <em>Washington Examiner<\/em>. \u201cBill Pulte is a great selection and he will do a great job on behalf of the American people.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">During the past 18 months, Pulte has developed a reputation as a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/irs-expansion-is-a-war-on-black-america-2\/\" title=\"IRS expansion is a war on Black America\">political attack dog<\/a> for Trump after he alleged New York Attorney General <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/letitia-james\/\" type=\"post_tag\" id=\"8955\">Letitia James<\/a>, Sen. <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/adam-schiff\/\" type=\"post_tag\" id=\"130\">Adam Schiff<\/a> (D-CA), and <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/federal-reserve\/\" type=\"post_tag\" id=\"726\">Federal Reserve<\/a> governor <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/lisa-cook\/\" type=\"post_tag\" id=\"17633\">Lisa Cook<\/a> committed mortgage fraud, even though members of his family had similar discrepancies on their own applications. <\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Those actions have Democrats worried the powers of the director of national intelligence could be weaponized against the president\u2019s political opponents.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cWith more access to more private information, Pulte may simply use that to do more damage to more American citizens for the sole reason that Donald Trump has targeted them,\u201d Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Pulte\u2019s aggressive style has not endeared him to everyone inside the administration. He has been cited as an influence behind Trump\u2019s efforts to fire Fed Chairman <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/jerome-powell\/\" type=\"post_tag\" id=\"725\">Jerome Powell<\/a> and his proposal for a 50-year mortgage, positions that reportedly put him at odds with Treasury Secretary <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/scott-bessent\/\" type=\"post_tag\" id=\"11700\">Scott Bessent<\/a>. According to reports, tensions became so heated that Bessent nearly punched Pulte during a dinner last September at the <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/maga\/\" type=\"post_tag\" id=\"7710\">MAGA<\/a> club, the Executive Branch.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Regardless, Pulte remains a favorite of the president, a status that appears to have helped him beat out more experienced candidates to oversee the Office of the Director of National Intelligence. The position oversees the CIA and the broader 18-agency intelligence community while serving as the president\u2019s chief intelligence adviser.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Trumpworld insiders said the most likely candidate for the role could have been CIA Director <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/john-ratcliffe\/\" type=\"post_tag\" id=\"3025\">John Ratcliffe<\/a>. The former Texas congressman held the role for the last year of Trump\u2019s first term and impressed the president that he was given control of the CIA upon Trump\u2019s return to the White House. <\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/white-house\/4590852\/what-to-know-bill-pulte-trump-pick-odni-chief\/\" type=\"link\" id=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/white-house\/4590852\/what-to-know-bill-pulte-trump-pick-odni-chief\/\">WHAT TO KNOW ABOUT BILL PULTE, TRUMP\u2019S PICK TO BE ACTING ODNI CHIEF<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Yet, Ratcliffe is prohibited from holding the post because of federal law. Even if possible, allies of the president say Ratcliffe would have likely turned down the job.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Those people described the DNI role as a bureaucratic, intelligence-sharing position, while the CIA director has \u201creal power\u201d in the form of its field operations.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>David Sivak contributed to this report.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Housing finance guru Bill Pulte won Trump\u2019s attention via mortgage-fraud allegations and leveraged it into acting ODNI chief<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3007,"featured_media":2609929,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/pulte-attack-dog-charm-odni-pick.jpg?w=696","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[80754,70345,70344,72585,61596],"class_list":["post-2609928","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","tag-attack-dogs","tag-campaign-strategy-2","tag-donald-trump-2","tag-political-activism-2","tag-pulte"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/pulte-attack-dog-charm-odni-pick.jpg?w=696","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2609928","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3007"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2609928"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2609928\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2609932,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2609928\/revisions\/2609932"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2609929"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2609928"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2609928"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2609928"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}