Pulte pick sparks a Senate GOP rebellion

Just when President Trump removed one thumb from the eye of Senate Republicans — scrapping his $1.8 billion "anti-weaponization fund" — he put another right back in with his choice of Bill Pulte as director of national intelligence.

Why it matters: This time, the stakes are even higher: Democrats are threatening to let the government's spy powers lapse next week unless Trump yanks the appointment.

State of play: Democratic outrage over Trump's latest moves usually doesn't amount to much. But Republicans need at least eight Democratic votes in the Senate to prevent the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act Section 702 from lapsing on June 12, potentially forcing Trump to choose between sticking with Pulte or keeping Section 702 alive.

• The warning lights started flashing on Monday when Sen. Mark Warner (D-Va.) teed off on the appointment. "I thought I had gotten to the stage where I could no longer be shocked by Donald Trump's choices," he told MS NOW, "but this may be the most outrageous of all."
• As vice chair of the Senate Intelligence Committee, Warner is a key player in the Section 702 renewal debate.
• Now Warner is pressing Senate Majority Leader John Thune to urge the White House to drop Pulte, per Punchbowl. As DNI, he would play a key role overseeing the Section 702 program.
• Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said Tuesday that renewal of surveillance powers, which has already been delayed for months, is in further jeopardy. "The timing of this announcement could not be worse," he said. "With just over a week until FISA Section 702's authorities expire, this announcement and its timing clearly make passing an extension of FISA much harder."

The big picture: The backlash isn't just coming from Democrats. Some of the sharpest criticism has come from Trump's own party.

• Thune himself did not mince words about Pulte, who used his perch as head of the Federal Housing Finance Agency to target Trump's adversaries. "We don't need a weaponized DNI, we need professionals there," he said.
• Thune's predecessor as Senate leader, Mitch McConnell, also came out against Pulte. "Anyone performing this role of such immense public trust must have the extensive national security experience required by statute, and no nominee who falls short of this requirement will earn my vote," he said.
• At a Tuesday hearing, Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) asked Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent whether he actually threatened to punch Pulte in the face, as journalist Rachael Bade reported last year. "No sir, I actually said I was going to kick his ass," Bessent replied. To which Tillis said, "Good … I share the emotion."
• Tillis also said Pulte is "not fit" to be DNI and that "the timing of this nomination couldn't have been worse."
• Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) said of Pulte, "I don't see any evidence of qualifications for that job, but I'm willing to listen."

Yes, but: Hitching Pulte to the FISA extension "is a really risky strategy," Thune told reporters Tuesday, per Axios' Hans Nichols and Kate Santaliz. Tillis and Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) also indicated they oppose linking the two.

For the record: "Bill Pulte is a great selection and he will do a great job on behalf of the American people," White House spokesman Davis Ingle said in a statement. "Holding FISA hostage puts America's national security at risk and it is shameful that some Democrats are threatening to put partisan politics ahead of the safety of the American people."

The bottom line: The administration abandoned the anti-weaponization fund. Now it has to decide whether to do the same with Pulte.