CounterPunch Exclusives

CounterPunch Exclusives

It’s Time to Abolish the Office of the Director of National Intelligence

Now that Donald Trump has established himself as the worst president in the history of the United States, George W. Bush can breathe a sigh of relief.  After all, it was Bush the Younger who used the 9/11 attacks to engage in decades of illegal and unneeded warfare in Iraq and Afghanistan at great cost to American national security.  And it was Bush the Younger who established the Department of Homeland Security and the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (DNI) that did nothing to strengthen national security.

With the appointment of Bill Pulte as acting director of national intelligence, this is the opportunity to assess the role of the office and examine the new director.  Pulte, who heads the Federal Housing Finance Agency, has no background whatsoever in national security, defense, or intelligence.  Pulte was chosen to replace Tulsi Gabbard for one simple reason: he is just as revenge-minded as the president of the United States.  He is now in a position to weaponize the intelligence community against Trump’s political opponents.

The position as DNI is his reward for being the leading voice in Trump’s campaign to oust then-Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell as well as Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook.  Pulte used his privileged access at the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) to lead Trump’s campaign against Senator Adam Schiff and New York Attorney General Letitia James for mortgage fraud.  He will remain as director of the FHFA, where he has fired dozens of staffers,........

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