U-TURN?

Trump Humiliates Nepo Baby Spy Chief Amid Backlash

The president made a surprise announcement two days after he elevated housing executive Bill Pulte to oversee intelligence agencies.

Donald Trump says his controversial pick for spy chief will not be in the role permanently, as a bipartisan backlash raged over the appointment.

The surprise announcement came two days after Trump elevated housing executive Bill Pulte to acting director of national intelligence, despite his lack of national security experience.

The controversial move triggered a fresh Capitol Hill revolt, with GOP members raising concerns and Democrats threatening to block renewal of key surveillance laws unless Trump backed down.

Asked about the pushback in the Oval Office on Thursday, Trump suddenly appeared to distance himself from Pulte, saying that he was only there “in an acting position”.

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But in an ominous sign, the president also signaled the 38-year-old loyalist was likely to “find out some things about the rigged elections” and other topics on Trump’s agenda, telling reporters: “It’s short term, but he may be very effective for a short period of time.”

“He’s got lot of energy, but again, it’s not a permanent position,” Trump said. “We’re interviewing people right now. It’s somebody just to take it over for a little while.”

The shift is something of a humiliation for Pulte, particularly given Trump’s tendency to keep people in acting roles to bypass tough confirmation fights in the Senate.

Last year, for instance, he installed his former attorney Alina Habba as acting U.S. Attorney for the District of New Jersey–at least until he was slapped down in the courts.

What’s more, Pulte reportedly campaigned for the position, according to the Wall Street Journal, pitching himself as the best candidate to succeed Tulsi Gabbard, who stepped down after her husband was diagnosed with a rare form of bone cancer.

Pulte, 38, is the grandson of William J. Pulte, the billionaire founder of homebuilding giant PulteGroup.

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He currently serves as the Director of the Federal Housing Finance Agency, and chairman of mortgage financing agencies Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac–positions Trump says he will maintain as he juggles his new role as acting director.

But he has used those roles to target Trump’s adversaries, such as New York Attorney General Letitia James and Federal Reserve governor Lisa Cook, both of whom he accused of mortgage-fraud, raising alarm among critics.

“Having someone in this extraordinarily powerful role, where they will have basically unfettered access to sensitive intelligence and be able to shape the way in which intelligence is collected and declassified is dangerous to the Constitution,” Don Bell, policy counsel at the Project on Government Oversight, told the Daily Beast.

Trump however, told reporters on Thursday that Pulte was “very smart” and “a person who’s got high integrity.”

“Look, I wasn’t greatly experienced in national security, and I think I’ve done a really great job with it. A lot of people would say that. I’ve ended eight wars and soon to be a ninth,” he claimed.

“I would say that Bill is a guy that will be able to figure it out very quickly. Again, it’s short term, but he may be very effective for a short period of time.”

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Farrah TomazinPolitical Correspondent

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