President Donald Trump appoints a former chair of the Securities and Exchange Commission as his nominee for Director of National Intelligence after Congress rejects another candidate, Bill Pulte. According to reports, congressional Republicans were hesitant about elevating Pulte to the DNI role and could not secure the votes needed to extend the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) without support from Democrats. The inability to pass FISA extension legislation is described as a key factor in lawmakers’ decision-making, and it coincides with the shift to a different nominee for the intelligence post. The outlet coverage frames the change as following congressional resistance to Pulte rather than a separate policy dispute over intelligence leadership. The new nominee is characterized as having prior experience leading the SEC, and the appointment is presented as Trump’s response to the stalled effort to move Pulte into the DNI position. Reports do not indicate whether the newly named nominee’s confirmation path differs from that of Pulte, but they describe the outcome as a practical result of congressional voting dynamics.