Trump's latest picks for top jobs get bipartisan pushback
The choice of Bill Pulte as acting director of national intelligence met strong criticism in Congress. Credit: AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump’s cabinet picks are facing increased blowback in Congress, even as the window narrows to get nominees confirmed before an election in which Republicans could lose control of the Senate.
New York's Chuck Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand are among Senate Democrats calling on Trump to rescind his appointment of Bill Pulte, the current head of the Federal Housing Finance Agency, whom Trump tapped for a key national intelligence job despite his having no national security or military experience. Federal law mandates the job go to someone with "extensive national security expertise."
The two are also vowing to fight the confirmation of acting Attorney General Todd Blanche, the president’s former criminal defense attorney, to lead the Department of Justice. A handful of Senate Republicans have also signaled their concerns about Blanche after his push for a $1.8 billion fund for people who claim to have been unfairly targeted by the government.
A third key job is also coming open after the resignation of former Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer in April, amid an internal probe led by former Long Island congressman Anthony D’Esposito, the Labor Department’s current inspector general.
WHAT NEWSDAY FOUND
- President Donald Trump’s cabinet picks are facing increased blowback in Congress, even as the window narrows to get nominees confirmed before an election in which Republicans could lose control of the Senate.
- New York's Chuck Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand are among Senate Democrats calling on Trump to rescind his appointment of Bill Pulte, the housing official whom Trump tapped for a key national intelligence job.
- The two are also vowing to fight the confirmation of acting Attorney General Todd Blanche, the president’s former defense attorney, to lead the Department of Justice. A handful of Senate Republicans have also signaled concerns.
"There's a lot happening in Washington, and a number of issues for the White House and Congress to address in both domestic policy and foreign policy, the midterm elections coming, the affordability issues of the war on Iran. And so it's unclear I would say at this point whether given those external considerations, as well as the questions being raised about specific candidates, whether these will be smooth confirmations," said Meena Bose, executive director of Hofstra University’s Kalikow Center for the Study of the American Presidency.
Opposition to Pulte
In Pulte's housing finance role, he spurred a federal investigation into New York Attorney General Letitia James over alleged mortgage fraud allegations that were later dismissed by a federal judge. Bipartisan opposition to his new appointment played a role in derailing an extension of part of the Federal International Surveillance Act this past week, causing the foreign surveillance program to lapse on Friday.
The temporary FISA extension was voted down with 19 House Republicans joining with Democrats in opposition. Several of the Republicans previously raised reservations about Pulte.
Trump on Thursday sought to quell some of the bipartisan backlash over Pulte’s appointment and rally support for the FISA extension vote by nominating Jay Clayton, the top federal prosecutor for the Southern District of New York, to permanently replace outgoing Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard. But the selection of the veteran prosecutor did little to tamp down concerns lawmakers have raised about keeping Pulte as acting director until Clayton undergoes the Senate confirmation process.
Pulte, 38, is the scion of a wealthy real estate development family, who mainly worked in the finance and real estate sectors before joining Trump’s second term administration to oversee the agency that regulates the housing finance market. Some have reportedly referred to him as "Little Trump."
Mortgage accusations
In his housing role, Pulte accused three of Trump’s Democratic political foes — Federal Reserve Board member Lisa Cook, Sen. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) and James, the state attorney general — of committing mortgage fraud, prompting investigations by the Department of Justice that have failed to produce any successful charges, according to media reports.
Trump told The Wall Street Journal he will direct Pulte to downsize the Office of the Department of National Intelligence, and Democrats have argued that Pulte will continue to use his federal office to launch investigations into the president’s political foes.
"Pulte has to go — he cannot be in the DNI role. Our national security is too important," Schumer, the Senate minority leader, told reporters on Thursday when asked about Clayton’s nomination.
Gillibrand, who sits on the Senate Intelligence and Armed Services committees, invoked the 9/11 attacks in criticizing Trump's and Pulte’s plans to downsize the Office of the Director of National Intelligence.
"Donald Trump’s plan to use his unqualified political crony to gut our intelligence agencies directly endangers our national security," Gillibrand said in a statement. "Congress established the Office of the Director of National Intelligence to ensure the catastrophic failures that led to 9/11 never happened again. I urge all my colleagues, Democrat and Republican, to oppose this reckless escapade and protect the integrity of our national defense."
A handful of Senate Republicans, including Thom Tillis, of North Carolina, and James Lankford, of Oklahoma, have also raised concerns about Pulte serving as acting director when Gabbard steps down on June 19 to care for her cancer-stricken husband. Tillis described Pulte on CNBC as an "incendiary attack dog."
Intelligence vote
Rep. Andrew Garbarino (R-Bayport), chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee, when asked for his thoughts about Pulte’s temporary appointment, told Newsday in a statement Monday that he was mainly focused on the FISA vote, and declined to weigh in on Pulte’s qualifications.
After the vote, asked about Clayton's nomination and whether it would improve the chances of an extension passing, Garbarino told Newsday in a statement that he would support the nomination if it helped get FISA 702 program restored.
"As Chairman of the Homeland Security Committee, my top priority is ensuring FISA is reauthorized and that our intelligence agencies have the tools they need to keep Americans safe," Garbarino said. "If confirming Jay Clayton helps get FISA across the finish line and strengthens our national security, then I support President Trump’s nomination."
Trump, meanwhile, has not discounted the possibility of issuing an executive order to temporarily extend the FISA provisions, telling reporters at the Oval Office on Thursday: "Let’s see what happens."
Laura Figueroa Hernandez is the White House correspondent and previously covered New York City politics and government. She joined Newsday in 2012 after covering state and local politics for The Miami Herald.
