an obviously unqualified bootlicker

[Public Citizen]

It has been almost a quarter century since September 11, 2001.

Let’s revisit some of what happened in the aftermath of that fateful day:

• The 9/11 Commission concluded that failures among our nation’s various intelligence agencies — in particular the CIA and the FBI — permitted the September 11 attacks to occur.

• Subsequently, Congress passed the Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act of 2004, which was signed into law by President George W. Bush.

• That law established a new high-level position in the federal government known as the director of national intelligence.

• The director of national intelligence oversees all 18 agencies that make up the federal government’s so-called “intelligence community,” including the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) and the National Security Agency (NSA).

• The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) also reports to the director of national intelligence.

• The law is crystal clear about the qualifications required of anyone who is in this incredibly powerful position: “Any individual nominated for appointment as Director of National Intelligence shall have extensive national security expertise.”

Now, there is a debate to be had about whether having a director of national intelligence has made Americans safer.

And our country’s intelligence agencies have a long, shameful history. Time and again they have been found to be acting outside the law; spying on their own citizens; infiltrating domestic organizations that oppose racism, militarism, and corporate greed; violating the civil and human rights of people here at home and around the world; installing dictators in other countries; and generally operating in the interest of corporate power and American imperialism.

But there is obviously a role for intelligence agencies within the overall national security interests of the country.

Donald Trump has just elevated a MAGA acolyte named Bill Pulte to be his acting director of national intelligence (after the departure of Tulsi Gabbard, who made a mockery of the position but looks superb compared to Pulte).

A few things to say to say about Bill Pulte:

1. Pulte has zero — forget about extensive, as required by law, but literally zero — national security experience.

2. Worse still, Pulte has demonstrated that he is more than willing to use a government position to attack those Trump considers his enemies.

3. That’s because Pulte is already serving as director of the Federal Housing Finance Agency, where he has ginned up cases of alleged mortgage fraud by Trump’s foes (baselessly, it seems).

4. Now Trump has given this sycophantic henchman the keys to the entire intelligence apparatus of the United States federal government.

5. If Pulte weaponized his position at a housing agency, imagine what he could do with the full national intelligence machinery at his disposal.

6. As if all of that weren’t bad enough, Trump says he is deploying Pulte to investigate his nonsensical claims of election fraud. According to Trump, Pulte is “a very smart guy, and you may find out some things about the rigged elections, etc., etc.”

It’s tempting to see the elevation of such an obviously unqualified bootlicker to such a powerful position as almost farcical. But it could not be more serious. It is yet another screaming klaxon warning us all that we are sliding into authoritarianism.

We are facing the very real risk that the vast powers of our country’s intelligence agencies could be exploited to advance the MAGA agenda and sabotage our elections.

The American people are rightly outraged. And Congress must do everything in its power to get Pulte out of the position of director of national intelligence (or any other role in government).

Tell every member of Congress:

Bill Pulte is manifestly unqualified to be director of national intelligence. And there is every reason to believe that he will exploit his access to our nation’s intelligence apparatus to attack people and groups that Trump perceives as his enemies and to interfere in our elections. Congress must act immediately to force Pulte out of the position.

Click to add your name now.

This is a message for the entire House and Senate, so take action today even if one or more of your members of Congress is a die-hard Trumpist.

Thanks for taking action.

For progress,

- Robert Weissman & Lisa Gilbert, Co-Presidents of Public Citizen


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