I cannot stress enough to you that none of this, none of this needed to happen.

The position of Director of National Intelligence is one of the most important national security jobs in government, overseeing the Intelligence Community and serving as the president’s principal intelligence advisor.

We don't know the answer to that.

Any nominee for this role deserves a thorough confirmation process and rigorous questioning before the Senate Intelligence Committee.

That said, let me be clear – while I am glad to see the president finally come to his senses, before the Senate can take up a FISA extension there needs to be a clear guarantee that Mr. Pulte will not serve as acting DNI

I have known and respected Jay Clayton for many years and believe he is a capable public servant.

The timing of this announcement raises an obvious question: if the president intended to nominate Mr. Clayton, why spend the last ten days insisting that the Intelligence Community be led by an acting director who lacks the extensive…

This is not a problem between Senate Democrats and Senate Republicans, this was the administration throwing a live hand grenade into a critical reauthorization 10 days out.

He’s very qualified. I have no idea why the president didn’t nominate him yesterday, we could have found a path and Director Gabbard could have stayed on until he was confirmed. Now the House is out of session.

Pulte’s appointment to replace Gabbard is a 'live hand grenade' disrupting the process.

Does anybody think it makes good sense to give him the keys to the 18 intelligence agencies?

I don't see how you get the necessary Democrat votes… that would get them to 60.

We will squash this blatant attempt at voter suppression.

Never underestimate the ability of Congress to screw up a sure thing.

I think we’ll get it done, but there are some strong personalities involved.

Americans have already seen Mr. Pulte use the powers of his office at the Federal Housing Finance Agency to pursue the president’s grievances and lend credibility to dubious prosecutions of President Trump’s perceived political opponents.

The concern is not only that Mr. Pulte lacks the ‘extensive national security experience’ required by statute for the job, which was created after intelligence failures led to the deaths of thousands of Americans on 9/11.

It is that he appears to have been selected precisely because the White House believes he will provide the narrative it wants, not the intelligence we need.

That is how intelligence becomes politicized, how inconvenient facts disappear, how agencies charged with protecting our democracy instead become tools to manipulate it, and how Americans are left more vulnerable to a terrorist attack.

Americans have every reason to worry about what happens when the official charged with overseeing everything from counterterrorism to foreign election threats is chosen for his willingness to advance the president’s political agenda rather…

Rather than selecting a respected national security professional capable of delivering independent judgments, the president has chosen an official who has demonstrated not just willingness but eagerness to use the authorities of government…

It feels like his only qualification is he’s willing to do whatever Donald Trump wants.

This appointment speaks volumes about what this president expects from the nation’s top intelligence official.

As Americans struggle with the rising cost of gas, groceries, housing, and health care, President Trump's priorities for taxpayer dollars are completely detached from the challenges families face every day.

Today’s Senate passage of the Stop Stealing our Chips Act is an important step toward strengthening our export control system and protecting America’s national security.