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One week ago, Congress was sailing toward relatively easy passage of a bill to reauthorize Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, which authorizes intelligence agencies to spy on non-U.S. electronic communications without a warrant. Then President Donald Trump announced he would install director of the Federal Housing Finance Agency Bill Pulte as the part-time acting director of national intelligence. His announcement upended the congressional calendar yet again, with Congress unsure of who will be exercising the spy powers if they renew the authority. 

While the Senate protests and demands a new nominee, FISA is slated to expire on Friday, and Trump is digging in and asking for an extension to give him more time to interview permanent replacements for outgoing DNI Tulsi Gabbard. 

Congress created the Office of the Director of National Intelligence in 2004 to respond to security and intelligence communication failures that led to the 9/11 terrorist attacks. The director was envisioned as a collator of intelligence across the CIA, FBI, and Pentagon for the president, and a facilitator of each department communicating with each other.

Starting June 19, Pulte will have access to the nation’s top secrets, if his security clearance is approved.

Trump has touted Pulte’s loyalty and success at FHFA and in leading the government-sponsored enterprises Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. Over the past year, Pulte has pressed criminal mortgage fraud charges against New York Attorney General Letitia James, Federal Reserve board governor Lisa Cook, former Rep. Eric Swalwell, and Sen. Adam Schiff – all Democrats.

“He’s done a great job at Fannie Mae,” Trump told reporters Wednesday in the Oval Office . “I put him in charge as soon as I got here, and he’s done an amazing job … Smart people are smart people. I’d rather have smart than experience, but experience is good, too.”

Trump reiterated that Pulte will not be the permanent director, but the president added that he is resisting calls from congressional Republicans to release a new name quickly. Trump said he’s interviewing five people who have “done this kind of thing before.” He gave no indication whether his decision would come in enough time to clear bipartisan hurdles and renew Section 702 by Friday.

“I am asking Congress to send me a short-term extension of FISA to provide time for the selection and confirmation of a permanent head of the agency,” Trump wrote in a Truth Social post after a meeting Wednesday with House Speaker Mike Johnson .

“It would not make sense for someone who’s never had an economic background to be the secretary of commerce,” retired CIA analyst Brian O’Neill told RealClearPolitics. He also served as a senior executive in the National Counterterrorism........

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