Who is Bill Pulte, Trump’s pick for new intel chief

President Trump on Tuesday named Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) head Bill Pulte to be the acting head of the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, replacing Tulsi Gabbard, who resigned last month.

The move drew immediate fury from Democrats and pushback from Republicans, who questioned whether he had any qualifications for the role.

Pulte was an entrepeneur, Trump donor and combative social media figure before being tapped to oversee Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac as head of FHFA. He has no background in national security or foreign policy.

He has drawn national attention over the past year for going after Trump foes with allegations of mortgage fraud.

Here’s what else you need to know about Pulte:

Real estate heir, investor

Like Trump, Pulte is an heir to a real estate fortune. PulteGroup, a housing construction firm that operates under multiple brands, was founded by Pulte’s grandfather.

In 2021, PulteGroup had control over 228,296 lots, per financial data company Whale Wisdom. Pulte served on the board from 2016 to 2020, before a reported falling out with other board members.

In 2011, Pulte founded an investment firm named Pulte Capital Partners, which was at one point worth over $50 million, per a personal financial closure. Pulte has said his person net worth is upwards of $100 million.

He also founded The Blight Authority, a non-profit that takes down empty houses as part of efforts to beautify cities.

Pulte also used Twitter as a platform for philanthropy, promising in 2019 to give two cars to two veterans if he got a retweet from Trump, who obliged.

Going after Trump........

© The Hill