President Donald Trump has put forth the nomination of Jay Clayton, the U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York, as the next director of national intelligence (DNI).
The nomination was made public on Trump’s Truth Social platform on Thursday, where he urged the U.S. Senate to confirm Clayton at the earliest. The White House officially transmitted Clayton’s nomination to the Senate shortly after 5 p.m.
“Few people anywhere in the Legal Community are respected at the level of Jay,” wrote Trump.
Clayton served as the Chair of the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) during Trump’s first term.
CIA Director John Ratcliffe recommended Clayton for the role, according to CNN. A veteran corporate attorney with strong standing in Republican circles, Clayton has largely concentrated on prosecuting violent crime and drug offenses during his tenure as U.S. attorney.
Trump’s DNI Shake-Up Draws Backlash
In May, Tulsi Gabbard resigned as director of national intelligence, effective June 30, citing her husband Abraham Williams‘ diagnosis with a rare form of bone cancer. Her departure comes after 18 months leading the Office of the DNI and follows months of reported tensions with Trump.
To fill the position, Trump appointed Bill Pulte, Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) Director, as the acting director of national intelligence, a move that drew bipartisan criticism questioning his qualifications and lack of intelligence experience.
Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) said Pulte’s conduct at the FHFA had already prompted a watchdog investigation. She said Trump was “rewarding his lackey” despite Pulte having “no national security experience.” Meanwhile, Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) cautioned, “We don’t need a weaponized DNI, we need professionals there.”
However, Trump plans to keep Pulte as the acting director, stating to reporters in the Oval Office, “He’s only there for a little while, he’s running it for a short while.”
Earlier this month, Trump also declared the Office of the Director of National Intelligence as ‘too big’ and ‘unnecessary’, and privately directed Pulte to begin workforce cuts, specifically targeting holdovers from the Biden and Obama administrations.
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