Housing Finance Director Bill Pulte tapped by Trump to be acting director of national intelligence
(WASHINGTON) — President Donald Trump announced on Tuesday that he’s appointing Federal Housing Finance Agency Director Bill Pulte as the acting director of national intelligence, with Tulsi Gabbard set to leave her post on June 30.
Trump said that Pulte will remain the director of Federal Housing Finance Agency and also continue as a chairman of the mortgage groups Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.
“William has deep experience managing the most sensitive matters in America, the safety and soundness of the Markets, and over 10 Trillion Dollars at Fannie Mae/Freddie Mac, a substantial increase from where it was just 12 months ago,” Trump posted to his social media platform.
Pulte does not appear to have a clear national intelligence background.
He is best known in the Trump administration for launching probes into several of the president’s perceived political enemies over allegations of mortgage fraud and possible misuse of authority. Targets of the investigations include Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook, New York Attorney General Letitia James, Democratic Sen. Adam Schiff and former Democratic Rep. Eric Swalwell. They’ve all denied wrongdoing.
The Department of Justice had at one point investigated whether Pulte and his team were interfering in ongoing investigations. Pulte has not been accused of any wrongdoing.
Gabbard announced her resignation last month because of her husband’s battle with bone cancer.
Trump praised Gabbard for having done an “incredible job” and adding that the administration will “miss her.” He said at the time that Principal Deputy Director of National Intelligence Aaron Lukas would serve as acting DNI.
But in his announcement on Tuesday, Trump said he was tapping Pulte for the temporary role. Pulte would need Senate confirmation if nominated to serve in the role full time.
(MAINE) — Maine Democratic Senate candidate Graham Platner on Monday pushed back on an allegation of sexual assault, calling it “categorically false,” adding that he is “taking the time to reflect on the best path forward.”
In a report from Politico published on Monday, Jenny Racicot, a former girlfriend, alleged that Platner, while they were dating five years ago, forced her into having sex without her consent after she had repeatedly called for him to stop.
ABC News has not confirmed the contents of the Politico story.
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
Former U.S. Rep. Eric Swalwell departs the U.S. Capitol Building on March 5, 2026, in Washington, D.C. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)
(WASHINGTON) — The FBI seized former Democratic Rep. Eric Swalwell’s electronic devices as part of an ongoing criminal probe, according to sources familiar with the situation.
Swalwell was served with a search warrant for his cellphone and other electronic devices while he was at San Francisco International Airport on Saturday night, according to sources, and agents served a search warrant at his Washington, D.C., home on Sunday.
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) speaks during a press conference at the U.S. Capitol on April 27, 2026, in Washington, DC. Republican senators gathered to introduce legislation to fund construction of a White House ballroom as a secure alternative event space following the shooting at the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner in Washington, DC Saturday night. (Photo by Heather Diehl/Getty Images)
(WASHINGTON) — National political leaders and prominent figures from around the globe are remembering South Carolina Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham with a ceremony on Capitol Hill and a funeral service in Washington, D.C., on Tuesday.
President Donald Trump paid tribute to his close ally at Washington National Cathedral on Tuesday afternoon.
“Today, we gather in the deepest gratitude and profoundest sorrow to honor a beloved friend, a devoted brother, a respected statesman, a giant of the United States Senate and a true American original who left us much too soon,” Trump said. “And that can only be the one and only Lindsey Graham.”
The cathedral funeral is being attended by a number of world leaders, including Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Graham worked closely with both men as a staunch ally to both nations. Graham spent some of his final days in Ukraine and met with Zelenskyy just before he died.
Sean Hannity and Graham’s niece, Emillie Boggs Roberts, will also deliver remarks.
Graham first was recognized with a ceremony in the Capitol rotunda Tuesday morning. His casket, draped in an American flag, was escorted by Air Force personnel and received by members of his family, including his sister Sen. Darline Graham, on the Capitol steps.
A great number of senators, both Democrats and Republicans, were in attendance. Senate Majority Leader John Thune and Vice President JD Vance gave remarks, as did South Carolina Republican Rep. Sheri Briggs.
Thune remembered Graham for his work in national security and defense, his efforts on the Senate Judiciary Committee and for his commitment to pro-life issues.
Thune seemed to choke back tears toward the ends of his remarks as he said a final goodbye to Graham.
“To Lindsey, rest in peace, my friend. I look forward to the days when you make us all laugh again,” he said.
Vance said he will remember Graham as someone who would fight alongside you on issues you both care about while respectfully disagreeing on others, and shared a story of an “intense argument” they had over Ukraine, but that it didn’t stop Graham from supporting him on another issue.
“I choose to remember Lindsey Graham as a person who could fight with you on one issue, but fight for you on another issue,” the vice president said. “I remember Lindsey Graham as a man who loved people, and because he loved people, he was willing to reason with them, to respect them, and ultimately to persuade them.”
“It was impossible not to like him — that swashbuckling, infectious laugh, that attitude, that passion that so many others have talked about. Lindsey Graham was impossible not to like as a human being, and of course, as a United States senator,” Vance added in his speech.
Graham served more than two decades in the Senate, becoming one of the chamber’s most recognizable Republicans and one of Trump’s closest friends and advisers. He advised the president on foreign matters, including the recent war in Iran, and was a prominent fixture of the Senate’s powerful Judiciary Committee.
He died suddenly and unexpectedly on July 11 at the age of 71. Preliminary findings from the Medical Examiner of the District of Columbia said that the senator died due to “aortic dissection due to arteriosclerotic cardiovascular disease.”
Graham’s casket will return to South Carolina on Wednesday, where further memorial services are set for Columbia, the state’s capital, and Pickens County, where Graham grew up and part of the district he represented.
The U.S. Air Force will rename Joint Base Charleston in South Carolina for Graham, a White House official confirmed on Tuesday.
The base, which falls under the command of the United States Air Force’s 628th Air Base Wing, will be renamed to Joint Base Lindsey Graham, according to a memorandum from Secretary of the Air Force Troy Meink dated July 27.
In the memo obtained by ABC News, Meink said that the renaming would honor “Graham’s decades of distinguished service to the United States Congress and the United States Air Force.” It was not immediately clear when the change would go into effect.
