When even Republicans look frightened or disgusted, you know Trump just jumped the shark.

Trump named Bill Pulte, currently head of the Federal Housing Finance Agency, as acting Director of National intelligence. Pulte is 38 years old, has zero experience in intelligence, national security, foreign policy, or the military. He is the grandson of William Pulte, a man who made a fortune building low cost tract homes. Pulte is to replace outgoing DNI Tulsi Gabbard. Pulte would have a limited period of stewardship as Acting DNI, before he would have to be confirmed by the Senate.

Confirmation seems rather unlikely. Gobsmacked with the news of Pulte's appointment, John Thune said, "I'll defer to the chairman" (of Intelligence Committee).

Sen Tom Cotton then added with a straight face, "We still have 4 more weeks of Tulsi Gabbard".

Outgoing/primaried Senator John Cornyn said: "I see no evidence of any qualifications for that job."

Former Republican strategist Tim Miller said, "Never in the history of the Republic has anyone less qualified been appointed to any Cabinet level position."

In case anyone has forgotten, the US is still at war with Iran. Even if Trump said he doesn't care about peace and he's bored with negotiations, US military personnel, allies, and the energy market remain at risk. Pulte would be the conduit for intel heading to the Decisionmaker-in-Chief.

As an acting member of the Cabinet, PUlte can remain in that position for 210 days before Senate confirmation becomes mandatory.

Pulte is in Trump's good graces because of how he handled his job at FHFA. During his tenure, Pulte scoured mortgage applications of people critical of Trump, or whom have upset Trump, and then referred the documents to the Dept of Justice for prosecution. The Letitia James fiasco is the most widely known. Pulte seems to have missed the part of the document that allowed James to rent her property, so long as she did it directly, without using an RE agent. James rented to a relative directly, so case dropped.

Pulte is likely to garner absolutely zero respect of any professional in the intelligence community, whether an ops officer, analyst, or even the agency Credit Union staff or 1st floor agency gift shop.

It seems rather clear to anyone not sniffing the fever swamp vapors of Trump World, that Trump could not care less about national security, but only cares about fealty and loyalty. He will get that, rather than competence, from Pulte.

Putin, Xi and other foes of the US are like rejoicing between their guffaws. Allies, or former allies may be more appropos, have to be scratching their heads, and likely recommitting themselves to halting the sharing of any intelligence with the US. These things instantly make the US less safe.

Quite likely this appointment is intended solely for Pulte to try try try again to find any flimsy reason to indict anyone in the intel community who was even tangentially involved in the Russia investigation. It matters little that every invstigation so far has failed to find any wrongdoing, whether Mueller, Durham, or even the Marco Rubio chaired Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, which confirmed things like Campaign Chair Paul Manafort traveling to Spain to hand GRU asset Konstantin Kilimnik detailed internal polling data. EYven Gabbard tried and failed, as did Ratcliffe and Grenell back in Trump 1.0.

15 hours ago, Wingate said:

It seems rather clear to anyone not sniffing the fever swamp vapors of Trump World, that Trump could not care less about national security, but only cares about fealty and loyalty. He will get that, rather than competence, from Pulte.

Pulte and Trump see the Intelligence job as part-time time since he is not willing to give up the job for which he has received Senate confirmation for one for likely which he never could.

Trump said on Thursday that Pulte might not be at DNI long, but that Trump wants Pulte to find "evidence" of the 2016 election interference by Russia (which Trump claims was false and an attempt to hurt Trump).

So far, everyone has failed, and reality has proven Russia did attempt to swing the election to Trump and Trump's campaign did cooperate with Russia. Mueller found that. Marco Rubio as head of SSCI found that. Durham found that. Gabbard even tried to find evidence of "weaponization" by the agency or bureau, and she failed.

Much of the facts have been leaked in the last few years. What I thought remained classified is now in open source material. I am preparing a post detailing the facts, which I am sure will upset MAGAs, as reality usually does. I will have that ready within a few days, still using only open source material, but irrefutably showing Russia and the Trump campaign did cooperate, and the agency and bureau followed the absolute letter of the law in investigating it.

No doubt Pulte will try to find things, and release false or partial information which Trump will then refer to the DoJ. Discovery---if anything ever comes to trial---will show once and for all the truth of Russia and Trump campaign clear cooperation, so Pulte is not only wasting everyone's time, but he will draw renewed attention to the facts, which will be uncomfortable for Trump.

Trump says he wants Pulte to slash "people who shouldn't be there" as well as find "information about rigged elections".

Trump, give up the ghost. You lost in 2020, and you probably won in 2016 because of Putin. Nobody in the USG "committed treason" by investigating intel that proved Putin did favor you and your campaign did cooperate with Russia intel assets. Only the most captured sycophants do not accept this reality. Why not ask your SecState Marco Rubio? He knows the truth. He signed off on the SSCI Report that showed Paul Manafort worked with Konstantin Kilimnik and Roger Stone worked with Russian asset Julian Assange of Wikileaks.

As for Pulte, how does a 38 year old with no intel experience, no national security experience, no foreign policy experience, and no security clearance even begin to understand the IC and who is needed or not there?

Pulte was schlepping meme stocks online (like Game Stop) and via Twitter, living off inheritance (kind of like Trump). He was---and remains---a clown.

Apparently, if one is a diehard sycophantic moron, one has a place in the Trump Administration.

Pulte is not tasked with improving the intel community; he is tasked with gutting it of anyone whose oath is to the US Constitution, and not Trump.

When Ratcliffe first became DCI, he took many senior intel officers aside and questioned their loyalty---to Trump, not to their oath.

-Did you vote for Trump?

-Do you agree 2020 was stolen?

-What is your view on 6 January 2021?

Those who answered "incorrectly" were fired or moved to meaningless positions.

Trump couldn't care less about national security. All he wants is fawning praise and fealty.

The "good news" is that when the US is hit by a major terrorist attack like 9-11, there will be no need for any commission to determine where things went wrong. It will be clear: competent professionals were fired.

Several al Qaeda and ISIS attacks have been prevented in the last few years, from a plot to blow up airliners traveling from Europe to the US, to a Taylor Swift concert of 70,000 fans ISIS-K was going to attack, hoping to kill tens of thousands. The folks who prevented those attacks are no longer in the agency. They were loyal to the US Constitution, not to a wannabe autocrat.