Hundreds of intel employees brace for firings as Bill Pulte takes over

WASHINGTON, DC: President Donald Trump’s pick for the acting director of National Intelligence assumed his role a day earlier, on Thursday, June 18, and his appointment has ignited bipartisan criticism, raising concerns over his qualifications to lead the intelligence department.

Democratic Rep Jim Himes, who is the ranking member of the House of Representatives' Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, said that ​if the report was true, it showed why Pulte "should never spend a minute as Director of National Intelligence, ​a role he is legally not qualified to perform."

"Mr Pulte should expect the Intelligence Committee to closely scrutinize any actions he takes in what should be a very short period in this role, to include any personnel decisions or declassifications," Himes ​added in a statement.

Bill Pulte sought employee list before official start

Bill Pulte’s appearance at the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) on Thursday was surprising and caught staff off guard, including Tulsi Gabbard, who is set to depart from the department, as Trump himself had said that Pulte would start his job on Friday, June 19. Gabbard only had a brief heads-up on Pulte’s visit.

He appeared earlier after asking for a list of employees of the national intelligence office, so he could assess whom to fire. Sources familiar with the event at the intelligence department on Thursday told CNN that Pulte met with lawyers and staffers during his visit.

Sources also revealed that during the only briefing with the ODNI last week, Pulte asked officers if he could take the President's Daily Brief (PDB) home, indicating he might not fully understand how sensitive the material is.

The PDB is one of the US government's most sensitive intelligence products. It contains highly classified information on national security threats and is normally handled under strict security rules.

Bill Pulte asked about access to government aircraft

During last week's briefing, meant to explain the core mission of ODNI to Pulte, the acting director also asked the officer what level of security clearance was given to him, or whether he held top-secret documents.

He also asked if he would have access to a government aircraft.

Pulte did not hold a security clearance granting access to highly classified intelligence before he was tapped to lead the US intelligence community, a credential long considered a basic requirement for the position.