President Donald Trump announced on Wednesday that he has authorized acting Director of National Intelligence Bill Pulte to widely declassify government records related to past elections.
Speaking at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland, Trump said Pulte's appointment is temporary but that he has been given expansive authority.
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"Bill is there just for a fairly short period of time. But while he's there, I said you can declassify whatever you want," Trump told reporters.
The move comes after Tulsi Gabbard's departure, with Pulte also serving as head of the Federal Housing Finance Agency.
According to NBC News and CNN, a White House task force plans to use the disclosures to support claims about the 2020 presidential election.
Trump noted that Pulte will serve until Jay Clayton, the US attorney for the Southern District of New York, is confirmed by the Senate.
"Bill Pulte is a very talented guy, but he's just there temporarily until Jay Clayton," Trump said.
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The president altered a previous Senate timeline to place Pulte in an acting role with fewer structural limitations, as he told The Wall Street Journal.
Congressional reactions are mixed, with bipartisan critics pointing to Pulte's lack of intelligence experience.
This has caused friction over the reauthorization of Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act.
Groups like Media Matters have noted that right-wing media figures are using the appointment to reinforce election narratives.
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The Senate Intelligence Committee has not yet finalized a confirmation schedule for Clayton.
