Washington — President Trump on Friday told the Wall Street Journal that he wants Bill Pulte, his controversial pick to run the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, to “start the process” of eliminating some workers and shrinking the office.
Mr. Trump told the Journal that the ODNI, which oversees the nation’s 18 intelligence agencies, is “unnecessary” or “too big,” and lamented holdovers from prior administrations. The president said the ODNI “should maybe even be terminated.”
“I’d like to see it smaller. I think there are a lot of people in there that shouldn’t be there,” the president told the Journal. Asked if he is calling on Pulte to fire ODNI workers, Mr. Trump said he wants Pulte to “start the process” that can be continued by a permanent director.
“We’ve made the Department of Education much smaller, and likewise, this should be much smaller,” the president said. “And this should maybe even be terminated, and we’ll make that decision.”
As an acting director, Pulte can serve for 210 days from when he starts the role. He’s also continuing to run the Federal Housing Finance Agency, which oversees Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.
“You’re less shackled,” the president told the Journal, referring to Pulte operating in an acting role. “It sort of gives you more power, you know, for a somewhat limited period of time.”
“Frankly, it might be good for him to shake it up before people come,” Mr. Trump added.
ODNI has already undergone major restructuring under outgoing director of national intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, reducing or reassigning staff by 40% and consolidating several offices and analytic functions through its “ODNI 2.0” initiative that was implemented last summer.
The president told the Journal he’s interviewing two people for the permanent post, “one from business and one from the world of politics.” He also said Pulte is “not going to be there that long.”
On Thursday, Mr. Trump told reporters in the Oval Office that Pulte may look into “rigged elections,” an apparent reference to the 2020 presidential election. As FHFA director, Pulte launched mortgage fraud investigations into Trump foes despite GOP concerns, demonstrating he doesn’t shy from political controversy.
“He’s a very smart guy and he may find out some things about the rigged elections, etc., etc.,” the president said. “I think he’d like to do it. I’d like to — I think he wants to do it very much. Got a lot of energy. But he’ll be very good.”
On Thursday, the president was asked if Pulte is qualified for the intelligence role, given that he has no known national security experience. Mr. Trump suggested Pulte is “smart” and will pick up on the job quickly.
“I think he does, actually, because he’s smart,” Mr. Trump responded. “Look, I wasn’t greatly experienced in national security and I think I’ve done a really great job with it, a lot of people would say that.”
The president’s selection of Pulte hasn’t gone over well on Capitol Hill, where senators on Friday failed to pass a reauthorization of a key surveillance program under the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act. Some lawmakers have said they won’t support the extension with Pulte overseeing the country’s intelligence agencies.
