"He Has No Intelligence Background": Richard Clarke Reacts to Trump's DNI Pick

**Michael Smerconish** (0:00)
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**SPEAKER_2** (0:34)
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**SPEAKER_3** (1:04)
Welcome to The Smerconish Podcast for Independent Minds.

**Michael Smerconish** (1:09)
What I started to say before the break is that we will soon learn the answer to my question. My question today is the Republican fight against Trump's $1.8 billion payout fund, a one-off or a turning point. We will soon find out in the context of Bill Pulte. Because Pulte was named, you know, the same day that Todd Blanch was telling Congress the anti-weaponization fund was dead, the president was making another personnel announcement that raised eyebrows in DC in that he named Bill Pulte the, you know the name because he's currently the director of the Federal Housing Finance Agency and chair of Fannie and Freddie Mac as the acting director of National Intelligence. Tulsi Gabbard is out and Tulsi Gabbard had announced her resignation after her husband was diagnosed with a rare form of bone cancer. What I was saying is, and this is the item that I made reference to Richard Clarke because he will know, this DNI position on paper is a really important gig. It was created after September 11 specifically to coordinate the country's 18 intel agencies. Do you remember the criticism that the left hand and right hand weren't communicating with one another? So CIA, NSA and the rest, Congress, when it established the role in 2024, stipulated that any nominee must have extensive national security experience.
So what's his background? Real estate and finance. Nothing wrong with it. Obviously a successful guy, but doesn't have what Congress said you need. He's the grandson and founder of Pulte Group, one of the country's largest home builders. I bet you've seen those signs. He spent his time in government overseeing mortgage markets. His biography at the FHFA lists experience in housing, experience in philanthropy, none in intelligence, none in military, none in national security.
On Truth Social, the president justified the appointment nonetheless. And I'm going to read it carefully because the logic is worth examining. He said that Pulte has deep experiencing, deep experience, pardon me, managing the most sensitive matters in America. The safety and soundness of the markets. I love how they put the word safety in there. Like, oh, he's got security experience. No, he doesn't. And over $10 trillion at Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, that's what he said. That was the case for putting him in charge of American intelligence. Something else about Pulte, he's got a reputation as one of the president's most aggressive loyalists from his housing perch.
You'll remember that he sent criminal referrals targeting people that Trump considered political enemies including Letitia James. This was on the whole issue of you own a second house, you apply for a mortgage, and often people say, and they shouldn't, it's a violation of the law, that it's their primary residence because it impacts the amount of the down payment and the interest rate. You remember that? It was not only Letitia James, it was Adam Schiff. It was also Federal Reserve Board member Lisa Cook. The prosecution against Letitia James was dismissed after a judge found that the prosecutor had been illegally appointed. I also remember that I think there was a relative who was living in the House. I mean, it was a very difficult case to bring, but he was willing to bring it.
So my point is, when I ask the question of whether stopping the $1.8 billion fund is a one-off or the start of something new, we're going to find out, relative to Pulte, because this job requires Senate confirmation, unless he's just going to keep him as acting. And if he keeps him as acting, theoretically, that's for a limited time period. And I'll tell you somebody else who's in this, in an acting role, that's Todd Blanch.
You know, Bondi was fired in, Pam Bondi was fired in April, pushed out, I think, because of her handling of the Epstein files. Blanch had been serving as the Deputy Attorney General. He had been confirmed by the Senate, stepped into the acting role, but he's not a permanent AG. He's got no permanent mandate. And oh, here it is, in my notes, 210 days. Under the Federal Vacancies Reform Act, he can serve in an acting capacity for 210 days, longer if a nomination is pending before the Senate. Trump has reportedly been considering others, including Lee Zeldin. I'm sure he wants Blanch, given how Blanch has been so responsive to him recently. So, would the Senate confirm Todd Blanch? Would the Senate confirm Pulte for the head of the DNI role? That's going to be the test, and that's when we'll know the answer to the poll question. This is Joe in North Dakota, I believe. Hi, Joe, your turn. What did you most want to say?