A lot might be said, but little of it will be grounded in reality. Here’s a general outline that may provide context for the next few weeks.
First, contrary to popular opinion, leaks from inside the IC related to activity within the ODNI will likely come as an outcome from bad actors in the FBI and the attached liaison office. {EXAMPLE HERE} As you may or may not be aware, every intelligence community silo has a liaison attached to the office of the Director of National Intelligence.
What that means is that every IC agency has a person(s) inside the ODNI that can then be the source of information within the larger parent silo. The most frequent leaking child from within the parent agency is the FBI liaison. Understand this reality and you begin to understand frustration around Kash Patel’s inability to control his agency.
Second, contrary to popular opinion, CIA Director John Ratcliffe will not be able to partner with Acting DNI Pulte in the same direct manner he was with fully confirmed DNI Tulsi Gabbard. Despite the ODNI technically sitting atop the CIA within the construct of the overall Intelligence Community, there are rules about information flows to non-confirmed “acting” positions. Deputy DNI Aaron Lukas will have more intelligence capabilities than Pulte.
CIA Director John Ratcliffe will likely not be the source of conversation about this standard, the information to Pulte will likely come from the DNI Legal Counsel Jack Dever, and/or Deputy CIA Director Michael Ellis who also carries the role of General Counsel for the Central Intelligence Agency.
When SSCI Vice-Chair Mark Warner says he is in communication with IC leadership about isolating Acting DNI Bill Pulte from national security information, he is likely outlining contact with the general counsel of the DNI or CIA, or with the Intelligence Community Inspector General’s office. That said, the National Security Advisor, Marco Rubio, could mitigate some of that isolation by requesting IC information Pulte may desire to review.
Regarding ‘declassification’ authority. CTH is not sure what power an Acting position as DNI carries as it relates to independent cross-silo declassification authority. However, information presented to the President can be declassified by the President. The key is to get the silo stakeholder to approve the release, then take to the Office of the President for approved public release pending stakeholder redactions.
That is the basic outline of limitations that could become pertinent. However, the Acting DNI can do something very valuable. The ADNI can ‘manage’ the office and how it operates. Pulte can make staffing decisions as well as curb the issues within the liaison offices.
I somewhat predict that Pulte could find the problem with FBI leaking; he could even do something about it – with presidential support. Unfortunately, this would put Pulte on a collision course with FBI Director Kash Patel.
It’s an issue that needs to be dealt with, but the timing is not good considering the looming midterm election.
A more likely scenario is Kash Patel’s unchecked deep state FBI analysts/agents will be managed without Patel’s direct involvement. Essentially, none of the ‘good guys’, and there ain’t that many ‘good guys’, have any trust in the FBI silo.
The entire DC system is fully aware of the corrupt nature of the FBI as it functions.
The ‘establishment’, including Mark Warner and Tom Cotton, is favorable to the FBI. Meanwhile, the ‘reformers’, and I suspect that might include HPSCI Chairman Rick Crawford, are not.
The larger IC elements will watch this play out, dropping their thumbs on the narrative (via selected leaking) as it pertains to their individual interests. There’s a reason why scrutiny against Patel has lessened from within the DC mechanisms.
Ironically, all the negative information against Pulte will almost certainly come from the FBI, it will just be positioned as if it comes from another silo. Watch carefully and we just might catch them in real time.
Ultimately, all of the bad actors within the IC (both branches of government) want “702” reauthorized, so this does create a subject that can be leveraged for actionable value to the office of the President.
All of that said, Pulte remains an unknown entity within the larger IC system, and his motives and intentions are generally also unknown. It will be interesting to watch things unfold, and to see exactly who is willing to surface as an ally.
Yeah, that!
Interesting.
After over 30 years of hard travel, international projects
Infrastructure,
Economic develooment
I firmly believe;
IMF
MI6
Central Banks
Central Intel
FEDERAL RESERVE FEDERAL BUREAU
Interesting to say the very least.
It’s like watching ping pong.
Sundance says…
1. The derp state is scared of Bill Pulte but the derp state controls him.
2. Tulsi Gabbard was ‘awesome’ but the corrupt Senate confirmed her.
3. Kash Patel isn’t doing anything to stop the corrupt FBI and the corrupt Senate confirmed Patel.
Does any of this make any sense?
What makes sense?…don’t trust anyone.
.
Actually, Dee, it does make sense.
Washington does not want the nature of their “dirty deeds” to be exposed to the hoi-poloi (WTP). So, yes, it looks like ping-pong is being played, but you have to understand that while you’re looking to find the ball, there is actually the real issue being played on the side lines.
What CTH (the platform of Sundance’s opinions) has been doing since it began is exposing the general confusion created by all three Big DC players, Executive-Legislative-Judicial, and thereby show the American People why it is necessary for them to stay informed. An informed voter is aware of his, or her, obligation to elect the best candidate; based not on what that individual can give the voter, but what that candidate will do for Our Country.
John F. Kennedy said it best: “Ask not what your Country can do for you. Ask what you can do for your Country.”
The motto of the Deep State and the donor class:
Ask not what you can do for your Country. Ask what your Country can do for you. In fact don’t even bother to ask, assume it’s anything you want and then act on it.
Let’s go Sundance!
Damocles….indeed. There’s so little light in this tunnel.
I can’t moderate my expectations any lower.
Chances of any of these parasite traitors going to jail is slim to none, and Slim is out of town
My optimistic nature is such I do have hope of at least some success here. Pulte seems to be chopping at the bit and possible pathways to achieve our goals has just been share with us.
Et tu, Brute?
Yes, that sword of Damocles has a nice touch to it!
They seem to be legal for men wearing turbans in Britain.
Young man…you act as though the sword of Damocles is above your head….
The appointment of Pulte is strategically designed to facilitate the reduction of the ODNI workforce without the hurdles of confirming a permanent director who might resist such cuts. President Trump has explicitly tasked Pulte with “gutting” the agency to its bare minimum before a permanent nominee is confirmed.
Presently Ratcliffe holds increased sway over national security matters in ODNI’s current form.
I thought gutting the ODNI was something Tom Cotton was pushing not to long ago. It was postulated that his position was to significantly reduce the ability of the agency to damage his buddies in the IC. At least, this is what I recall.
If that’s the case, why would POTUS want this?
Cotton wants to gut the DNI power….not the workforce.
The fewer the permanent staff in the ODNI, the easier it is to exercise the DNI’s actual authorities.
Appears he wants both.
Correct.
Cotton’s been pushing to slash ODNI staff and limit its cross-silo and overall mission since at least early 2025. Here’s a discussion of his bill, introduced later in the year:
https://www.meritalk.com/articles/sen-cotton-debuts-bill-to-slash-odni-staff-refocus-mission/
How far Pres. Trump is aligned with a substantive overhaul of ODNI’s functions vs. a staff reduction reflective of his general policy to reduce federal payroll is a good question.
Yep Pulte [hopefully] will be the hatchet man.
As in RIFs (reductions) or eliminating positions –
A hatchet man, as opposed to a place holder.
And we already have seen How Ratcliffe handle things that are important to the people by not revealing things he could have last time and avoided half the obstacles Trump faced in his first term. For now he sits in my mind on the same level who when he was playing Kabuki theater acted like a fighter and thats Mike Johnson and once he gained speaker he has done nothing but talk a good game. Ratcliffe played the same game until he got promoted. Another Kabuki theater actor is Jim I’m controlled by big tech Jordon. They actually should have an awards dinner every year and get awards for who slung the most BS and did nothing! There would be a lot of figurines being passed out just on the R’s side of the isle!
Like Schmucker said, 6 ways to Sunday. These people have been bought, threatened or blackmailed. Take your pick, none have a happy ending for the players and their families.
The reason very few patriots ever make it to the CONgress. Mostly bottom feeders and play actors get to the big leagues.
The “Trey Gowdey Award”.
Elise Stefanic would get an award at that dinner.
Little Jimmy wrestled at 134 for 2 years then politics became his world he is now worth $30 million last year his NW was $17,000,000.00. Politics pays pretty well if you ask me. They give him $200,000.00 per year. Do the math does any private sector have this ability.
134 is a good weight for Hot Chicks at 5’ 5”. Or an 8th grader. LOL. Talk about pretend world.
And who is the FBI liaison to the office of ODNI ? An unlisted internal operational assignment how convenient.
Thanks Sundance be well stay safe much love and appreciation
I think Trump has asked Pulte to make cuts to ODNI staff.
I believe acting DNI Ric Grendel did declassifications.
https://theconservativetreehouse.com/blog/2020/05/26/ric-grenell-hits-senator-mark-warner-with-sunlight-hammer-as-he-exits-role-as-dni/
Probably why the Senate and IC are in active coup mode against Trump and Pulte.
And the Senate can always confirm the new SDNY guy, pass the Save Act and Trump would let them confirm the new DNI and sign the FISA renewal. Easy Peasy.
But they’d rather not.
The SSCI wants to control the IC (an Executive branch function). We saw this in the first term, in an attempt to remove 45 from office. Various elements in the IC cozy up to the SSCI to curry favor and funding. Most elected folks have plenty of skeletons in the closet that they’d rather not have exposed. So some of them are fearful – and that becomes apparent in their unhinged public statements. It’s a dysfunctional relationship.
The entire DC swamp is disfuncional!
Indeed, they’d rather be traitors. Lord, may the sunlight of truth beam so brightly on evil that it’s reduced to ash!
Pulte doesn’t need to be an “intelligence professional” any more than the head of HHS has to be a doctor or a social worker, as long as there are trustworthy lieutenants under him. He wasn’t hired to do analysis or hone his tradecraft.
The challenge is to find trustworthy people.
I agree – and I trust he will do exactly what the President asks him to do.
As it should be.
Article 2, Section 1:
“The executive Power shall be vested in a President of the United States of America.“
There is no law saying that members of SCOTUS must have a law degree.
That’s a good thing.
Here’s hoping Bill Pulte uses his other physical office to stay out of the clutches of the various IC liasons
Thank you for my daily Treehouse Daily Brief™ (TDB).
So much evil.
God help Acting Director Pulte do his job.
I firmly agree with that prayer!
The mere fact he is a hammer that President Trump can use is worth it. Nothing like seeing the gatekeepers sweating. Evidently they don’t like the gate swinging inside their domain.
Ahhh, but the sword cuts both ways!
Only in the Treehouse can you get both Mickey flipping everyone off…and gif scenes from Cicero.
Just the best!!
Love your name and pic!
🙏🏻
All of these potential machinations are just more reason for massive job reductions in all the agencies. If there are not the people there to conduct the mischief, the mischief is dramatically reduced with little effort needed.
Having been part of several corporate takeovers and corporate downsizings, there’s always a short period of time when the negative actors attempt to stay hidden. You flush those people out by acting like you’re relying on their expertise and knowledge. That gets them to drop their guard and allows you to dump them quicker.
Fire the known traitors on day one.
Then smoke out all the traitors!
Re: liaison moles, why not replace them all en mass. None of them should be there long enough to get too cozy. Like all feds, they should serve for a limited time and move on. Careerists will always become a problem.
“En masse” won’t work, Day. You still need continuity of government to ensure the daily functions continue.
tried and true metric……thune and the rest of the senate bad guys all want clayton fast tracked……that`s all you need to know…
I’m thinking we may never see Clayton’s name associated with this again. The Senate blew his cover.
I hope so.
I’ll bet that even maintenance and cleaning crews in our Capitol are corrupt.
Infiltrated!
Does the acting DNI have the authority to fire top echelon and senior employees? Would that we no longer have to contend with the embeds from Obama/Biden.
If he can’t do the deep dives Tulsi was able to carry out, Pulte knows who the Deep State conspirators are.
I hope he’s got a list from the President.
Please understand that most staff at the ODNI office are protected Civil Service employees that can’t be “fired” without significant due process 😎
But….Pulte will have authority to reassign individuals and recharacterize their jobs in a manner to make them irrelevant to the operation of the ODNI.
There are probably lots of non civil service contractors at ODNI as well. Pulte can fire any of these that he wants to.
Reassigning the worst individuals to a basement office 3,000 miles away to count paperclips and revoking all systems accesses ought to encourage many to self-terminate their employment.
Assign them to work for Senator Warren. They will resign by Sunday.
But held over political appointees can be let go. The issue is going to be those politicos who got hired as regular SES. They may be the real snakes in the grass.
And from Tulsi who, I’m sure has still a lot more she should have done. There are only so many minutes in a day, but that lady outran everybody! I can’t even begin to imagine all the information she left for Pulte and PDJT!
Reading between the lines I might have seen that Pulte will be the bad guy that helps Patel do some FBI cleanup that Kash has been hamstrung into NOT doing? If Patel has been surrounded, Pulte will break a hole in the circle?
Maybe just me but I think you are giving Patel too much credit here.
I don’t read the same thing.
Ka$h is as enamored with the 99% FBI “good guys” as Hannity.
Yes, PDJT has a lot of tenth dimensional Chess going on here!! Trump learned 1st time who to trust and who to not trust! Obviously, that’s the reason God gave him a 4 year hiatus!
If it were true that the enemy of my enemy is my friend then we could be assured that Pulte will be on the right side of history; unfortunately, it’s not always true.
But they’re certainly making sure we all know that he is viewed as their enemy.
Lets hope Tulsi left a long list of names for Bill Pulte
Hard to imagine she didn’t do just that.
One can hope
“The new acting DNI told staff at the Office of the Director of National Intelligence late Thursday that he wants a list of about 300 employees to fire in the coming weeks.”
Bill Pulte, who officially started at the intelligence coordination hub Friday, directed ODNI staff late Thursday to pull together a list of about 300 candidates to be fired from the National Counterterrorism Center. . .
https://www.politico.com/news/2026/06/19/pulte-seeks-major-cuts-in-first-day-as-intel-chief-00968831
Pulte will get no blame from me for anything he can’t manage to get done. Every ounce of my anger is aimed squarely at his boss, who was supposed to be some kind of genius ushering in a golden age.
Mary Mary quite contrary,
How does your garden grow?
With silver bells and cockle shells,
And Democrat trolls all in a row.
That was wonderful!! Thank you.
Wow, hope you get help.
Pray God softens your heart before it’s too late.
Really do feel bad for you, that’s a miserable way to be.
It must be a terrible strain on you to have Trump in your mind 24/7.
He is also living in her mind rent free.
Probably not a lot of room in there, and what exists is surely very unpleasant.
We need to ask that little Italian dwarf Fauci to come back to work out a vaccine to stop the spread of Trump Derangement virus!
🤮
The outcry and upheaval caused by Pulte’s nomination allows me to be hopeful. And the fact that Aaron Lukas remains as Deputy is also a positive
Great info!
Tonight on the Gateway Pundit: “Bill Pulte will carry out mass firings on day one as Acting DNI.
Federal housing regulator Bill Pulte showed up to work a day early on Thursday and asked for a list of all employees as he decided whom to fire.”
Well it’s Friday there. Any firings yet?
The Clickbait Pundit strikes again
Be careful about trusting anything The Gateway Pundit says.
Sometimes it’s true, other times not so much.
Gateway Pundit is firmly in the camp of CONservative Inc.
We’re quite fortunate to know who the major bad actors are like Warner.
It’s sort of entertaining listening to their blathering thinking they’re they’re fooling all of us rubes.
However, it’s quite concerning realizing the number that they are fooling.
Our spies must must hate Sundance. Thank you for valiantly fighting for US.
The FBI is incorregible and should have been dissolved.
F’ing Jimmy Carter fired 30% of the CIA.
But which 30%?
Considering the outcomes from his administration, I’d guess it was the NOT the most corrupted ones (who should have been fired).
I’ve got the idea that half the time IC is up to no good and the other half is spent trying to cover up the bad deeds.
Probably exaggerated…but what % of their effort is doing work beneficial to the USA?
I am a little skeptical of Pulte. When I lived in South Carolina there were lots of Pulte built homes
and the reviews were awful lots of problems shortcuts.. not good responses to the problems seemed
a bit shady… so I not sure how I feel about this guy
I knew someone who worked for Pulte Homes. He had plenty of bad stories to share.
Probably why Trump put him in as the hatchet man.
Words and terminology matters. I think it would be wise if we stopped playing along with the fiction that what the CIA and “intel community’ are up to has anything to do with “national security”. They are indifferent or even hostile towards national security, their focus is on STATE security.
From the standpoint of national security, open borders and mass migration are madness. From the standpoint of state security open borders and mass migration are desirable. Because the biggest threat to the state security apparatus which controls the US (and often seems to control several other countries as well) is not some undocumented immigrants, but the American people themselves.
According to political theory and the Constitution, the state is the creation and servant of the nation. But the reality in 2026 is that the state is effectively at war with the nation and working towards its destruction. When these people say “national security” you should always be aware that the last thing they desire is a secure nation, or any sort of nation. They are working to establish a totalitarian state.
Very apt description of the dynamic, citizens armed with the Constitution vs. Deep State armed with all the control apparatus.
An outstanding summary of the situation.
Organized by David Rockefeller, Kissinger, and their Trilateral and WEF confederates; they have been working to supersede the nation state, and government by consent, since the Nixon Administration. Since Massive Media are explicitly integral to these organizations, we expect the general public to be informed of their machinations by ……????
“A lot might be said, but little of it will be grounded in reality. ”
that has got to be the funniest, most incisive, and truest statement you’ll read all day.
kind of applies to anything, anytime, anywhere, anyhow…but the internet most of all.
😂 🤣
Not the analysis I expected from CTH around Pulte’s appointment. I choose to remain optimistic and I think a bull has just entered the china shop.
Well bless your heart.
I love how deeply immersed you have clearly been in the mess in D.C. and the resulting explanations you are able to share. I don’t understand where Patel fits into this, whether he is simply in over his head or is protecting those who clearly need the be ferreted out and dismissed. Fingers crossed for a forced mass exodus of those responsible for this mess.
I. Rebuilding Trust in the IC
II. Executing PDJT’s order to shrink ODNI, which oversees 18 federal intelligence agencies
During Gabbards tenure, she reduced the agency’s staff by nearly 50% during and cut the budget by more than $700M annually. However, POTUS said “it’s too big […] I’d like to see it smaller. I think there are a lot of people in there that shouldn’t be there,” pointing to to holdovers from the Obama (2009-2017) and Biden Administrations. [3]
According to reports of several news outlets {4], Pulte is already working on PDJT’s directive.
[1] DNI Gabbard Establishes Task Force to Restore Trust in the Intelligence Community and End Weaponization of Government Against Americans | Office of the Director of National Intelligence
[2] Trump’s spy chief Gabbard winds down intelligence task force | Reuters
[3] Exclusive | Trump Urges ‘Less Shackled’ Pulte to Fire Intelligence-Community Employees – WSJ
[4] Pulte to Begin Mass Firings on Day One as Acting DNI * The Gateway Pundit * by Cristina Laila
Let the Firings commence
I’m assuming that FBI is slow walking 2020 election interference.
I believe it’s called “no walking”.
Thank you, Sundance.
I miss Tulsi already.
I am sorry for her husband in multiple ways.
…and yet another key responsibility lands on Marco Rubio’s desk. What a workhorse utility infielder iron man he has turned out to be!
Daily prayers up for him and his family.
Mr. Pulte, as head of the FHFA, has the finacial records of the swamp critters. And as seeing that a large pile of these critters love real estate ventures….😉 their dirt is in his hands. The thing 99.99999995% of everyone do not understand about president Trump, is he is unorthodox, biggly! He plugs in solutions where no one can see the details, which once you see what he’s doing. Its genius. Dont underestimate this man. Do so at your own peril. Yet the swamp continues to do so. Consider, if you’re confused, what you think the enemy is? 🤯
JMO,
There are still thousands and thousands and thousands of treasonous thugs from the biden administration in the FBI, DOJ and the CIA.
They were protected from being fired by the infamous trio of Susie, bondi and patel in January, 2025. Elon and his crew were ready to clean house and they were stopped by the treasonous trio.
Perhaps the time has come that Mr. Pulte will have President Trump’s orders to finally get rid of the traitors within the walls of the FBI, DOJ and the CIA. Bondi is gone, Susie is on her “off ramp”……… so that leaves patel as the last of the globalist, threesome, IC rearguard.
Much valuable time has been lost but there is still plenty of time to shake the “trees and rake the leaves” of the treasonous pre-Trump era IC gang. Just in time to clean out the communists running the blue state. and cities.
MAGA / America First isn’t just our motto, it is our duty!
I consider it encouraging that S. Wiles is not informed of Pulte’s contact with PDJT.
Disagree on source of leaks. CIA has deeply infiltrated not only DNI but every IC agency and Executive Dept’s. Dismember and reintegrate CIA into new national security apparatus framework and watch the rest fall.
Thank you. That’s insightful and provides much needed contextualization. Americans are still fighting the Scylla that was unleashed post September 11.
Similar to the guy in the trenchcoat you know the pardon attorney who was going to blah blah blah the little girl spit on his trenchcoat. Then _-_-_- …..
Thank you, Sundance for maintaining focus on structure, obstructions and wider view. Interesting series describing history of IC and players involved here:
https://rumble.com/playlists/W-Ljszyydos
Matt Ehret’s series
Our lives depend on the reformers. The IC has too much power since the unconstitutional PATRIOT Act and FISA 702. We live at the peril their whims.
And….Big Tish Leticia James just endorsed Jay Clayton as DNI. So there’s that.
I assume the president chose Pulte for a reason that only and Pulte know.