【By Qi Qian】On June 2, President Trump announced the appointment of William “Bill” Pruitt, head of the Federal Housing Finance Agency, as acting Director of National Intelligence of the United States.
This news immediately triggered controversy within both major parties. According to public records and media reports, the 38-year-old Pruitt comes from a powerful American real estate family with no background in intelligence, defense, or national security. He staunchly supports Trump and maintains close ties with the Trump family. Previously, Pruitt was widely criticized for abusing his position to help Trump sideline political opponents. Pruitt initially gained access to Trump’s inner circle through membership at Mar-a-Lago and generous donations. Due to his background and conduct, some dubbed him “Little Trump.”
When announcing the appointment, Trump praised Pruitt’s regulatory work on Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, saying Pruitt has “rich experience in managing America’s most sensitive affairs and ensuring the security and stability of markets.”
The position of Director of National Intelligence is a cabinet-level role, serving as the head of the U.S. highest intelligence agency, responsible for overseeing 18 intelligence agencies and producing the daily intelligence briefing for the president. During his tenure as acting director, Pruitt will continue serving as head of the Federal Housing Finance Agency and chair of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac’s boards of directors.
Pruitt will replace Tulsi Gabbard, who announced her resignation last month to care for her terminally ill husband. Gabbard, once a Democrat, had long opposed U.S. military intervention abroad and disagreed with Trump on Iran’s nuclear program. She was marginalized within the White House’s national security decision-making apparatus, and Trump reportedly resented her and considered replacing her. Her resignation will take effect on June 30.
As acting director, Pruitt can only serve a maximum of 210 days unless formally nominated and approved by the Senate.
Pruitt’s profile photo via White House X account
Pruitt hails from a prominent real estate family and is also a private equity investor who previously worked at his grandfather’s third-largest homebuilder, the Pruitt Homes Group. He is also a friend of Trump’s son, Donald Trump Jr.
The New York Times noted that Pruitt actively used social media to attack Trump’s political rivals, making him a favorite of the Trump camp. The Financial Times reported that prior to being named acting director, Pruitt was already widely criticized as a liability within the current administration. Reports alleged that since March last year, Pruitt has abused his position as head of the Federal Housing Finance Agency by using mortgage fraud indictments to target Trump’s enemies. Among those targeted were California Democratic Sen. Adam Schiff, New York AG Letitia James, former Fed Chair Jerome Powell, and Fed理事 Lisa Cook. No prosecutions have succeeded so far.
Although Pruitt maintains close relations with Trump, he has sometimes clashed with other government officials, including Treasury Secretary Bezos. Last year, insiders told The Wall Street Journal that some officials grew increasingly worried about Pruitt’s unorthodox and radical strategies, suspecting he overstepped his bounds and caused numerous headaches for the administration.
Media coverage generally noted that this appointment has heightened American concerns that Trump remains loyalist when it comes to official appointments. This enraged Democrats and also confused some Republicans, considering Pruitt has no known intelligence experience. “The president didn’t select someone capable of making independent, respected national security judgments,” said Sen. Mark Warner, D-Intelligence Committee. “He selected an official who wants to use government power for political payback. This is how intelligence gets politicized, how inconvenient truths get obscured, how institutions meant to protect our democracy become tools to manipulate it, and how Americans become more vulnerable to terrorism.”
Sen. Schiff warned that Pruitt “weaponized and politicized housing agencies in the past; the same will happen in the intelligence community.” He said this would make Americans “even less safe.”
Screenshot of Schiff’s tweet warning Americans “even less safe”
Some Republicans also expressed cautious reservations about Pruitt’s appointment. Sen. Tom Cotton, chair of the Senate Intelligence Committee, declined to comment when asked about Pruitt’s appointment. “I don’t see any evidence that he’s qualified,” said Texas Sen. John Cornyn bluntly. “I’ve never met Pruitt.”
White House press secretary Davis Engle defended the appointment, saying, “The president picks the best and most talented people to serve on his cabinet. That’s why this administration has achieved so many record-setting accomplishments for Americans. Bill Pruitt is a very suitable choice, and he’ll make an outstanding contribution to the American people.” However, this justification is unlikely to convince many. Notably, the Office of the Director of National Intelligence was established after the 9/11 attacks.
Former top official at the White House National Security Council, Javed Ali, said Trump’s decision to appoint Pruitt could further erode the stature of the Director of National Intelligence position, especially with the 25th anniversary of 9/11 looming. “Appointing someone with no experience in national security or intelligence at this critical juncture signals that this administration may not value the role of the Director of National Intelligence as highly as in previous administrations,” Ali remarked.
