Jim Himes says Bill Pulte as acting DNI is Trump's 'worst and most dangerous' appointment

WASHINGTON, DC: Rep Jim Himes (D-CT) called President Donald Trump's decision to make Bill Pulte acting director of national intelligence the “worst and most dangerous” appointment of his presidency.

The criticism added to bipartisan concerns about Pulte’s qualifications for the role. It also came days before a key surveillance authority is set to expire, raising the stakes in Washington.

Jim Himes says Trump 'needs to sober up' and realize his mistake

Speaking on CBS News’ ‘Face the Nation’, Himes said there was “no way” the intelligence community should be placed “in the hands of an individual who has shown that his sole reason for being in Washington is to do the president’s political laundry.”

Himes, the top Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee, argued that Pulte’s record at the Federal Housing Finance Agency had already alarmed lawmakers.

“The president needs to sober up,” Himes said. Of what he described as a “basket of awful appointments” made by Trump, Himes added that Pulte “is probably the worst and most dangerous”.

The Connecticut Democrat urged Trump to reconsider the move rather than dig in politically.

“So, I hope he can find a way out, because you’re right. He doesn’t like to back down, but he’s also not going to like the te**orist attacks that might happen if there is no 702 collection authority,” Himes said.

FISA fight intensifies after Bill Pulte's appointment

The dispute has spilled into negotiations over renewing Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA), a surveillance authority scheduled to expire on June 12.

Senate Democrats, joined by at least seven Republican senators, blocked a motion to begin debate on extending the surveillance powers. Their opposition was tied to concerns over Pulte’s appointment.

Himes said the fallout is now affecting support in the House as well.

“I will tell you that at least half of those Democrats are gone, because they will say, ‘Look, I wasn’t very comfortable with this authority to begin with, and we don’t need to get into why it’s controversial, but it is controversial,’” he said.

He then drew a direct line between those concerns and Pulte’s leadership.

“But with Bill Pulte, who is absolutely dedicated to abusing authorities — no, I’m not there,” Himes said.

Trump defends decision to appoint Bill Pulte despite criticism

Trump has indicated that Pulte’s role is temporary, but he has continued to praise what the FHFA chief could accomplish while serving in the intelligence post.

“I’d like to see it smaller. I think there are a lot of people in there that shouldn’t be there,” the commander-in-chief said in an interview with the Wall Street Journal.

The office of the Director of National Intelligence oversees 18 US intelligence agencies. While Trump has suggested changes could be made under Pulte’s leadership, it remains unclear what authority he would have to remove personnel at agencies such as the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA).

Pulte's tenure as acting director is limited to 210 days, but Democrats and a growing bipartisan group of lawmakers continue to question both his qualifications and the impact his appointment could have on intelligence operations and the pending fight over Section 702.