WASHINGTON, July 1 (Reuters) – U.S. President Donald Trump said on Wednesday that his acting spy chief has wide permission to declassify records, including potentially those tied to the 2020 election, even though his close ally is only at the intelligence helm for a short time.
Trump appointed Bill Pulte as acting director of national intelligence last month, elevating a political loyalist with no national security experience at a time of war and global tensions.
Following a political backlash over his pick, Trump subsequently nominated Jay Clayton, the top U.S. attorney for Manhattan, but then abruptly postponed Clayton’s confirmation hearing in an effort to force Congress to pass a strict voter identification bill.
“Bill’s there, just, you know, for maybe a month or two months or something,” Trump told reporters as he departed Joint Base Andrews for an event in North Dakota. “But while he’s there, I said, ‘You can declassify whatever you want’.”
Asked if that included records related to the 2020 election, Trump added: “I told him you could do it, it’s fair. You got to ask him.”
Trump, who won a second White House term in the 2024 election after losing in 2020, has long falsely claimed widespread fraud in U.S. elections.
The Office of the Director of National Intelligence and the office of Senate Intelligence Committee Chairman Tom Cotton did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The ODNI oversees the premier foreign spy service, the Central Intelligence Agency, and the National Security Agency, the massive agency that eavesdrops on foreign communications and helps defend the United States against cyberattacks.
It was not clear when lawmakers would act on Clayton’s nomination, but Trump told reporters there would be a hearing in two weeks.
Congress is in recess for the July 4 holiday and no hearing was listed on the Senate Intelligence panel’s website.
Pulte currently leads the Federal Housing Finance Agency but will also remain as ODNI until Clayton is approved by the Senate. Pulte has reportedly already moved to cut hundreds of intelligence jobs.
(Reporting by Susan Heavey and Jonathan Landay; editing by Michelle Nichols and Bill Berkrot)
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