President Says Acting Intelligence Chief Bill Pulte Has Authority to Declassify Nearly All Documents Before Permanent Successor Is Confirmed
President Donald Trump said on Wednesday that he instructed newly appointed Acting Director of National Intelligence Bill Pulte to "declassify almost everything" before a permanent leader of the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) is confirmed.
Speaking to reporters while traveling to an event in North Dakota on July 1, Trump said Pulte's tenure would be brief but that he had granted him broad authority over classified materials.
"Bill is there just for a fairly short period of time. But while he's there, I said you can declassify whatever you want," Trump said.
"I think that Bill will declassify," he added.
Pulte's appointment as acting head of the ODNI has drawn criticism from many Democrats and several Republicans, who argued last month that he is not qualified for the position.
Sen. Mark Warner (D-Va.), the top Democrat on the Senate Intelligence Committee, said in a statement that Pulte is "someone who will be willing to shape intelligence around the president's wishes" and lacks sufficient expertise in U.S. national intelligence.
Among Republican members of the Intelligence Committee, Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) said he had seen "no evidence of qualifications for that job," while Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-La.) stated that Pulte "doesn't seem qualified."
Citing concerns over Pulte's appointment, congressional Democrats allowed a section of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act to expire in mid-June. The provision had authorized the U.S. government to obtain communications from foreign nationals located outside the United States.
Trump later announced that Jay Clayton, the U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York and former chairman of the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), would be nominated as director of national intelligence. The appointments followed former Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard's announcement that she would step down, citing her husband's battle with cancer.
During his remarks on Wednesday, Trump praised both Pulte and Clayton.
"Jay Clayton is going through the process," Trump said, adding, "And Jay Clayton, highly respected. And so is Bill Pulte."
The president also said that Pulte, who currently serves as head of a federal housing agency, would remain in the role only until Clayton receives Senate confirmation. Trump said a confirmation hearing is expected to take place in about two weeks.
Earlier, Trump told The Wall Street Journal that he wanted Pulte to streamline the intelligence office by removing staff members who remained from previous administrations. He also said Pulte could have greater flexibility in dismissing employees because of his temporary appointment.
"I'd like to see it smaller. I think there are a lot of people in there that shouldn't be there," Trump told the newspaper in early June.
Trump also suggested to The Wall Street Journal that the ODNI could "even be terminated," pointing to efforts to reduce the size or eliminate other federal agencies, including the Department of Education under Secretary Linda McMahon.
"We've made the Department of Education much smaller, and likewise, this should be much smaller," he said.
