Bill Pulte took the reins on Friday as the acting director of national intelligence, placing the staunch Trump loyalist in charge of America’s intelligence apparatus.
Pulte’s path to the job began with the resignation of Tulsi Gabbard last month, and Trump’s selection of Pulte for the interim job set off a firestorm in Washington as senators from both parties criticized Pulte’s almost total lack of experience for the job, as well as his practiced dedication to retaliating against Trump’s political rivals.
Amid the pushback, Trump had to engage in a series of moves to ensure that Pulte actually had a chance to serve in the interim role. This is how we got here.
The path to Bill Pulte becoming America’s top spy Tulsi Gabbard resigns
22 May 2026 After months of rumors that she had lost favor with Trump, Gabbard resigned from her post on 22 May after a turbulent 15 months in the job. Her clashes with Trump over his Iran policy reportedly pushed her to the margins of the administration, and her unprecedented appearance at an FBI raid of a Georgia election center alarmed voting advocates and many members of Congress. In her resignation letter, Gabbard said her last day would be 30 June.
Trump announces Pulte will be the new DNI
2 June 2026 In a Truth Social post that stunned Washington, Trump announced that he was nominating Pulte to serve as acting director of national intelligence. Acting heads of government agencies fill roles on a temporary basis and do not require Senate confirmation.
It wasn’t clear whether Trump intended for Pulte to also serve as the permanent director, but the negative reaction in Washington was swift. “Elevating him to oversee the intelligence community makes clear that this president is not looking for an intelligence leader who will follow the facts or speak truth to power, but rather someone who will be willing to shape intelligence around the president’s wishes, regardless of the cost to the American people,” said Senator Mark Warner, the top Democrat on the intelligence committee.
John Thune, the Republican Senate majority leader, told reporters that “we don’t need a weaponized” national intelligence director and Pulte would have “a lengthy road ahead of him” if he were nominated to take the post on a permanent basis.
Trump clarifies that Pulte won’t stay in the job
4 June 2026 Speaking with reporters in the Oval Office, and as anger in the Senate mounted, Trump clarified that he would not nominate Pulte to become the permanent director of national intelligence.
“It’s an acting position. It’s not permanent,” Trump said. “I don’t think he’d want to be permanent.”
Trump announces Gabbard will be leaving sooner than expected
9 June 2026 Trump announced on Truth Social that “William Pulte, who is working closely with Tulsi Gabbard, will be taking over as Acting Director of National Intelligence on Friday, June 19th.” Shortening Gabbard’s tenure meant Pulte would take over in only 10 days.
The shortened timeline stirred up further opposition on the hill, with senators from both parties threatening not to reauthorize key surveillance powers ahead of their expiration on 12 June.
Trump nominates Jay Clayton as permanent DNI
11 June 2026 Trump announced that he was nominating Jay Clayton, the US attorney for the southern district of New York, as permanent DNI director. “Few people anywhere in the Legal Community are respected at the level of Jay,” he wrote. “I encourage the United States Senate to confirm Jay as soon as possible.”
Though Clayton has no experience in any of the 18 agencies that would fall under his purview, there were quick signs that he had bipartisan support in the Senate, particularly when weighed against the prospect of Pulte.
The Senate intelligence committee immediately scheduled Clayton’s confirmation hearings for 17 June – an extraordinarily rushed schedule for a major cabinet position. But it meant that a vote on his nomination could occur before 19 June, thus preventing Pulte from ever serving as acting director.
Major surveillance law expires
12 June 2026 Some Republicans in Congress scrambled to pass a short-term, two-week extension of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, but their efforts failed and the law granting the executive branch broad surveillance powers lapsed amid the outrage over Pulte potentially serving even temporarily as director of national intelligence.
Trump derails Clayton’s planned confirmation
17 June 2026 In an extraordinary Truth Social post that Trump sent from France at 3.54am Washington time, only hours before the planned confirmation hearing, the president wrote that “Regarding the approval of our Great Patriot, Jay Clayton, we are cancelling the Senate Hearing RE: DNI today.”
Trump cited several factors – Democrats’ alleged gamesmanship over the surveillance law extension, and his purported desire to have a new US attorney to replace Clayton before he left his post – but the practical effect was that, with only two days until Gabbard was to leave office, Pulte was destined to serve as America’s spy chief.
Pulte takes over as acting DNI
19 June 2026 Pulte officially became acting director of national intelligence following Gabbard’s departure.