Episode
"He Has No Intelligence Background": Richard Clarke Reacts to Trump's DNI Pick
- Podcast
- The Smerconish Podcast
- Published
- Jun 5, 2026
- Duration seconds
- 1744
- Processing state
not_requested- Canonical source
- https://www.siriusxm.com
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Summary
President Trump has named housing executive Bill Pulte as Acting Director of National Intelligence, a move that's drawing scrutiny from both national security experts and lawmakers. Michael examines the nomination, the qualifications traditionally required for the DNI role, and whether Republican resistance to some of Trump's recent actions signals a broader shift within the party. Former White House counterterrorism advisor Richard Clarke joins the program to explain what the DNI actually does, why the position was created after 9/11, and why Pulte's appointment has raised concerns inside the intelligence community. Original air date 3 June 2026. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.