Top congressional Democrats on the House and Senate intelligence committees are warning Acting Director of National Intelligence (DNI) Bill Pulte against making significant personnel, declassification, or organizational changes at the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) during his temporary role as acting chief.
In a June 22 letter, Rep. Jim Himes, D-Conn., ranking member of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, and Sen. Mark Warner, D-Va., vice chairman of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, said they are concerned Pulte could pursue actions beyond those typically associated with an acting leadership role.
“We are concerned that your record as Director of the Federal Housing Finance Agency demonstrates a willingness to misuse your position, including your access to sensitive information, to pursue President Trump’s perceived political enemies and further his retributive political agenda,” the lawmakers wrote.
The lawmakers urged Pulte not to declassify intelligence in ways that could compromise sources and methods or serve partisan interests. Any declassification actions, they said, should follow established procedures and include input from career intelligence officials responsible for assessing national security risks.
Himes and Warner also expressed concern over reports that Pulte may seek to fire or place hundreds of ODNI employees on administrative leave.
The lawmakers acknowledged that “there is room to consider responsible reductions to ODNI’s workforce,” but noted that any large-scale cuts would come after substantial downsizing already undertaken in 2025 and could jeopardize the agency’s mission.
“Given your lack of experience within the Intelligence Community, it is difficult to imagine that in such a short amount of time you have already developed fully informed views as to how to shrink ODNI without incurring risks to national security,” the lawmakers wrote.
“Making significant structural changes to ODNI, to include a reduction in force, is not an appropriate course of action for anyone in an acting capacity, let alone without consultation with Congress,” they wrote.
The letter also emphasizes federal recordkeeping requirements, reminding Pulte that records related to personnel decisions, declassification actions, and the publication of classified information must be preserved. The lawmakers said those obligations extend to communications conducted on both official and personal devices, including text messages and encrypted messaging applications.
The warning comes amid broader uncertainty over leadership of the intelligence community.
Most recently, a Senate confirmation hearing for Jay Clayton, President Donald Trump’s nominee to permanently lead ODNI, was postponed after Trump said he would delay the nomination until Congress acts on surveillance and election-related legislation.
With DNI Tulsi Gabbard expected to step down on June 30, Trump has indicated that Pulte will continue serving in an acting capacity following her departure.
Separately, Warner has introduced legislation that would revise the intelligence community’s succession process by requiring a Senate-confirmed principal deputy DNI to automatically assume the acting director role during a vacancy. The proposal would limit the president’s ability to appoint acting officials outside that line of succession, except in limited circumstances involving other Senate-confirmed national security officials.
Even if Congress advances the measure, it is unlikely to take effect before the anticipated June 30 leadership transition, which is expected to proceed under current law.