With the confirmation of Jay Clayton to serve as President Donald Trump’s Director of National Intelligence, Bill Pulte’s acting services should be done — but he’s reportedly begging for “more time.”
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A White House official told Politico’s Playbook Wednesday that Pulte is lobbying Trump “to delay Clayton’s swearing-in, or at least trying to stay in the job longer.”
This desperation to keep hold of his power explains what Politico described as a “recent burst of activity”
Those activities include social media messaging bursts, declassifications and the announcement of “sweeping layoffs.” According to Politico, “[It’s] part of an effort to get the president on board with that plan.”
Trump administration insiders believe this won’t be Pulte’s last grab for intelligence control, according to the report.
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“Few administration officials expect Pulte to disappear even when Clayton is eventually sworn in,” the report states. “He’ll retain his role overseeing the Federal Housing Finance Agency, and could be considered for a future Cabinet opening, three administration officials told Playbook.”
Pulte is a notorious partisan loyalist to Trump, who has used his authority leading FHFA to dig up banking documents on Democrats and other critics of the Trump administration to hunt for supposed fraud.
He was initially Trump’s pick to serve as DNI on a permanent basis, despite not having the statutory qualifications for the role. A backlash even among conservatives forced him to pick Clayton instead.
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