Rubio claims no familiarity with Pulte in intelligence context

Secretary of State Marco Rubio stated on Wednesday that he had no familiarity with Bill Pulte in the context of the intelligence community, President Donald Trump's choice for acting director of national intelligence, despite Rubio’s extensive background in the U.S. intelligence community.

The revelation came during a House Foreign Affairs Committee hearing, where U.S. Rep. Bill Keating, a Massachusetts Democrat, pressed Rubio on the matter.

Keating highlighted Rubio's significant experience, including his tenure on the Senate Intelligence Committee and his current roles as a top U.S. diplomat and Trump's national security adviser.

"Have you ever specifically, in the context of the intelligence community, heard the name Bill Pulte?" Keating inquired.

"In the context of intelligence?" Rubio repeated, before responding, "No."

Keating interjected, "Thank you for answering that. Never even heard his name, given all your years of experience and your position now. Never heard the name."

Trump announced Pulte's appointment on Tuesday, elevating the federal housing regulator to lead the vast U.S. intelligence community.

The move has drawn criticism, with Democrats and at least one Republican questioning Pulte's qualifications given his lack of national security experience, particularly at a time of global tensions.

Keating further elaborated on his concerns, stating, "For the record, Bill Pulte is a person Donald Trump has chosen for the acting director of national intelligence with no experience in the intelligence field, whose misuse, widely reported, of confidential information led to the prosecution of the president's political enemies, is now the person in charge of the nation's most closely guarded intelligence, when he couldn't even conduct himself appropriately as the federal housing finance director."

Pulte, 38, has reportedly used his position at a low-profile mortgage regulatory agency to initiate investigations into several individuals perceived as Trump's adversaries for alleged mortgage fraud.

Despite the criticism, Trump praised Pulte in a Truth Social post announcing the appointment, citing his "deep experience managing the most sensitive matters in America."