A letter signed by 28 former U.S. national security officials was sent on Wednesday to the leadership of the U.S. Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, Chairman Tom Cotton (R-AR) and Vice Chairman Mark Warner (D-VA), to voice concern regarding President Trump’s consideration of Bill Pulte (currently Director of the Federal Housing Finance Agency) as Acting Director of National Intelligence, replacing Tulsi Gabbard.
The letter noted that Pulte “does not have any national security experience, let alone the extensive expertise required by law,” and is “clearly unqualified for this role.” The correspondence warned that “with U.S. forces engaged in active operations abroad, there is no margin for error.”
Among the 28 signees were President Trump’s former Secretary of the Navy James E. McPherson (who served in the first Trump administration), former Secretary of the Air Force Frank Kendall (Biden), former Secretary of the Army Louis E. Caldera (Obama), and former Secretary of the Navy Richard Danzig (Clinton).
Extraordinary Letter.
Points to Bill Pulte appointment as national security danger.
“The undersigned include twenty-eight former service secretaries and retired general and flag officers who
collectively served under every president from John F. Kennedy to Joseph R. Biden, Jr” pic.twitter.com/iZnmQZK5ie— Ryan Goodman (@rgoodlaw) June 5, 2026
The letter reads: “The appointment of an ill-suited Acting Director could materially harm U.S. national security. Any prioritization of political considerations over strategic imperatives cedes advantage to our adversaries. So do errors of judgment arising from insufficient expertise. Our men and women in uniform rely upon the quality and integrity of intelligence gathered and analyzed by the eighteen agencies under the Director’s jurisdiction. With U.S. forces engaged in active operations abroad, there is no margin for error.”
NYU Law School professor Ryan Goodman, who served as Special Counsel in the Department of Defense during the Obama administration, responded to the letter: “Extraordinary Letter. Points to Bill Pulte appointment as national security danger. ‘The undersigned include twenty-eight former service secretaries and retired general and flag officers who collectively served under every president from John F. Kennedy to Joseph R. Biden, Jr.’”