U.S. Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-Louisiana) speaks in lieu of testimony from U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr. during a Senate Finance Committee hearing on President Donald Trump’s 2026 health care policy at the Capitol in Washington, DC, on September 4, 2025.
Evelyn HochsteinReuter
Outgoing Republican Sen. Bill Cassidy said in an interview Tuesday on CNBC’s CEO Council Summit that Federal Housing Finance Agency Director Bill Pruitt does not appear to have the “competence” to serve as acting director of national intelligence.
Cassidy, who recently missed out on a runoff in the Louisiana Republican primary after President Donald Trump endorsed one of his challengers, Rep. Julia Letlow (R-La.), said his Senate colleagues were surprised Tuesday morning when the president nominated Pelt as spy director.
“There is nothing here to suggest that he is competent in his appointed role,” Cassidy said. “It’s like a conversation I had with a co-worker, I’m like OMG.”
“He doesn’t have a military background, he doesn’t have an intelligence background. He… intends to pursue other work, and he’s not sure he even has security clearance,” Cassidy said.
Intelligence community veterans warned that Mr. Pulte was ill-prepared for the job and could jeopardize the quality of the U.S. intelligence community by using his perch to target President Trump’s domestic enemies.
Cassidy said he did not know whether he would support Pulte as a DNI candidate, although he has not been formally nominated for the position. Pulte can serve as acting DNI for a limited time without Senate confirmation.
“The problem with acting is that sometimes people keep acting forever,” Cassidy said, citing Julie Su, who served as acting labor secretary in the Biden administration.
Cassidy is not the first Republican to express concerns about Pruitt’s qualifications. Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas), who also lost a contested primary last month, said earlier in the day that he did not believe Mr. Pelt was qualified.
The Louisiana senator also warned of the possibility of Mr. Pulte remaining in office beyond his authorized term.
“Sometimes something that isn’t permanent becomes completely permanent,” he said.
