Wyden Statement on Appointment of Bill Pulte as Acting Director of National Intelligence

Wyden Statement on Appointment of Bill Pulte as Acting Director of National Intelligence

Pulte Has No Intelligence Experience, Will Make Americans Less Safe and Weaponize Government Surveillance

Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senator Ron Wyden, D-Ore., the longest-serving member of the Senate Intelligence Committee, issued the following statement on Donald Trump's announcement that he will appoint Bill Pulte as acting Director of National Intelligence.

"Trump is appointing his top political henchman to one of the most important positions for protecting the safety of Americans and preventing terrorist attacks like September 11th," Wyden said. "Bill Pulte appears to be unscathed by intelligence or any semblance of ethics. Pulte has already used his post at a housing agency to persecute Trump's political opponents, including Senator Adam Schiff, New York Attorney General Leticia James and Federal Reserve Board member Lisa Cook.

"At the ODNI, Pulte will be intimately involved in overseeing FISA Section 702, where he could do vastly more damage and the potential for abuse is nearly unlimited. Bill Pulte's appointment at ODNI is yet another reason that every single Democrat should refuse to reauthorize Section 702 without strong new safeguards for Americans' rights."

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