{"id":995,"date":"2026-06-04T05:07:56","date_gmt":"2026-06-04T05:07:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/nextaddressamerica.com\/?p=995"},"modified":"2026-06-04T05:07:56","modified_gmt":"2026-06-04T05:07:56","slug":"i-never-heard-his-name-rubio-blindsided-by-trumps-national-security-pick","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/nextaddressamerica.com\/?p=995","title":{"rendered":"‘I never heard his name’: Rubio blindsided by Trump’s national security pick"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

On Tuesday, Congressional Republicans were \u201cblindsided<\/u>\u201d by President Donald Trump’s announcement that current Director of the Federal Housing Finance Agency Bill Pulte will double in the role of acting Director of National Intelligence, an appointment that has drawn harsh criticism. But lawmakers in Congress weren\u2019t the only ones from Trump\u2019s camp to be surprised by the move, as on Wednesday morning, Secretary of State Marco Rubio revealed that he\u2019d never even heard of Pulte, who would be leading the country\u2019s intelligence efforts amidst its largest war in years. <\/p>\n

Read more Critics drag Trump\u2019s \u2018graph\u2019 of blued-up reflecting pool<\/a><\/p>\n

It was while discussing that war with the House Foreign Affairs Committee that Rubio shared his thoughts on Pulte, or lackthereof, saying<\/u>, \u201cI never heard his name.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Director of National Intelligence is a role that is vital to the country\u2019s security apparatus, and in theory, when it comes to issues like the Iran war, would work in concord with the Secretary of State, who is the nation\u2019s top diplomat. It does not bode well that one hand does not appear to know what the other is doing \u2014 or of the other\u2019s existence in the first place. <\/p>\n

Rubio\u2019s admission represents the intersection of two flashpoints for the administration. First, Pulte\u2019s appointment, which has drawn bipartisan outrage over his lack of experience and suggestions he may \u201cweaponize\u201d the post, as he has a proven track record for targeting Trump\u2019s enemies. Second, the president\u2019s fumbling approach to the war with Iran. Rubio\u2019s testimony on Wednesday comes in the lead-up to a House war powers vote, and the fact that lawmakers are raising the issue of Pulte amid discussion of the conflict indicates that they have concerns about how his intelligence oversight will impact the war. <\/p>\n

The Secretary of State isn\u2019t the only prominent, relevant official to have never heard of Pulte. When Senator Susan Collins (R-ME), a senior member of the Senate Intelligence Committee, was asked about the appointment, she said, \u201cI have no knowledge of this individual at all. I don\u2019t know whether he has an intel background before that. I truly don\u2019t know him at all.\u201d <\/p>\n

Read more Republican strategist nails Trump\u2019s excruciating Tuesday defeat<\/a><\/p>\n

Others on Capitol Hill who are familiar with him have been quick to push back against his appointment. <\/p>\n

\u201cWhoever told the president to go ahead and commit to this publicly before vetting it should lose their jobs, because they should know that the math just works against Pulte being confirmed,\u201d Senator Thom Tillis<\/u> (R-NC) told CNBC. \u201cI don\u2019t think he has a prayer.\u201d <\/p>\n

Speaking to reporters on Tuesday, Senate Majority Leader John Thune<\/u> (R-SC) declared, \u201cWe don\u2019t need a weaponized DNI; we need professionals there\u2026 If he\u2019s somebody they want in that position permanently, he\u2019s got a lengthy road ahead of him.\u201d<\/p>\n

Read more Trump privately panics as Iran deal is revealed to be worse than one he tore up<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

On Tuesday, Congressional Republicans were \u201cblindsided\u201d by President Donald Trump’s announcement that current Director of the Federal Housing Finance Agency Bill Pulte will double in the role of acting Director of National Intelligence, an appointment that has drawn harsh criticism. But lawmakers in…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":994,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-995","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"yoast_head":"\n'I never heard his name': Rubio blindsided by Trump's national security pick - Next Address America<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/nextaddressamerica.com\/?p=995\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"'I never heard his name': Rubio blindsided by Trump's national security pick - Next Address America\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"On Tuesday, Congressional Republicans were \u201cblindsided\u201d by President Donald Trump's announcement that current Director of the Federal Housing Finance Agency Bill Pulte will double in the role of acting Director of National Intelligence, an appointment that has drawn harsh criticism. 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