Bill Pulte, President Donald Trump’s choice to lead the US intelligence community, did not have a security clearance before he was tapped for the post, according to sources familiar with the matter. The lack of clearance means he was not yet cleared for highly classified information when Trump announced him as acting director of national intelligence.
The office he is expected to lead has already started the vetting process. On Thursday, it requested a background investigation, one of the sources said, which would be the first step toward giving him access to classified material.
Why the appointment is drawing attention
Pulte is an unusual choice for the role because he does not have a national security background. He is a wealthy businessman and was confirmed as director of the Federal Housing Finance Agency last year, but sources said there is no evidence he had any prior access to classified information before being named acting DNI.
That detail matters because the director of national intelligence oversees the entire US intelligence community. The position was created after 9/11 to help prevent agencies from failing to share critical information.
Sen. Mark Warner, the top Democrat on the Senate Intelligence Committee, said the DNI “has access to all of our most classified intelligence.” He also said there is no evidence Pulte would respect those classifications.
What the sources say about clearance and vetting
Sources told CNN there is no evidence Pulte ever held even a basic security clearance before the appointment. They also said he had not been vetted for security vulnerabilities, which is typically required before someone receives a higher-level clearance.
There are multiple clearance levels, from confidential to Top Secret. The most sensitive information sits beyond Top Secret in compartmentalized access programs, which usually require both a need-to-know and additional screening.
One source said flatly that Pulte went through “none” of the usual clearance vetting before Trump’s announcement. The source added that Thursday’s background check request was only the beginning of the process.
It remains unclear whether Pulte will take a polygraph test. That test is a strict requirement for access to the intelligence community’s classified network, though it is not always mandatory for high-level presidential appointees.
Concerns inside and outside the Senate
Lawmakers from both parties have already raised questions about what Pulte could do with access to sensitive secrets. Senate Majority Leader John Thune said the country does not need “a weaponized DNI” and said professionals should fill the role.
Warner has also pressed for answers. At a Senate hearing, he asked Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent whether Pulte had a security clearance, and Bessent said he did not know. Warner later told CNN, “We have no idea whether [Pulte] even has a security clearance.”
The Senate Intelligence Committee has also tried to determine what clearance, if any, Pulte has, but one source said it has not been able to get a clear answer.
Trump’s approach to security clearances
Trump has long criticized the clearance process. During his first term, he ordered clearances for more than two dozen people, including Jared Kushner and Ivanka Trump, after they reportedly had trouble completing the standard process.
At the start of his second term, Trump granted temporary six-month clearances to incoming White House officials who had not finished the usual vetting, blaming a backlog of background checks. CNN previously reported that he also issued an executive order giving TS/SCI access to incoming officials, including some who had never been vetted for security vulnerabilities.
National security lawyers said that move was unusual, if not unprecedented. One former US official warned at the time that foreign intelligence partners could become more cautious about what they share if they fear their sources may not be protected.
Why critics see Pulte’s case as different
Even among Trump’s past clearance decisions, Pulte’s situation stands out because of the sensitivity of the acting DNI role. Sources said Trump was drawn to Pulte because of what he had seen him do at the Federal Housing Finance Agency, where he played an extraordinary role in pushing Justice Department action against some of the president’s political enemies.
That context has fueled concerns that the appointment may serve Trump’s broader retribution agenda. Pulte’s lack of a clearance before the nomination adds another layer of concern for critics who question whether he is prepared for an office built around handling the nation’s most closely guarded intelligence.
Beth Sanner, a former senior intelligence official, said the appointment is unlikely to improve trust across agencies. “CIA might not want to share information with somebody that has no background [in intelligence],” she told CNN, underscoring the unease surrounding a pick that places an unvetted newcomer near the center of America’s classified system.
Read more at: www.cnn.com-
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