President Trump said Thursday that his choice to serve as director of national intelligence (DNI), Bill Pulte, would only be a temporary selection amid bipartisan controversy over the pick.

Trump said Pulte, who’s currently the head of the Federal Housing Finance Agency, is “very smart” and has “high integrity,” when asked by reporters in the Oval Office why he felt Pulte was the best choice.

“It’s an acting position, it’s not a permanent — he’s not going to be permanent, because you know, I don’t think he’d want to be permanent,” Trump said.

The president added that his team is “interviewing” people for the role and Pulte is “somebody just to take it over for a little while.”

When asked if he felt Pulte had the experience for the job, Trump said yes.

“I think he does, actually, because he’s smart … I wasn’t greatly experienced in national security, and I think I’ve done a really great job with it,” he said.

“Again, it’s short term, but he may be very effective for a short period of time.”

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