Trump says he will nominate Jay Clayton to be the next director of national intelligence
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US President Donald Trump said on Thursday that he is appointing Jay Clayton, US Attorney for the Southern District of New York and former chairman of the US Securities and Exchange Commission, as director of national intelligence.
Trump announced his nomination on social media amid pressure from Congress to name a successor to Tulsi Gabbard, who announced her resignation last month. Trump faced a lot of pressure for his decision to name Bill Pulte, head of the Federal Housing Finance Agency, as acting administrator. This task oversees the coordination of 18 intelligence agencies.
The uproar has created a rift in Congress after Democrats said they would not agree to renew foreign intelligence unless Trump rescinded Pulte’s nomination and appointed a permanent one.
“Few people anywhere in the Legal Community are respected to the level of Jay,” Trump wrote on Truth Social. “I urge the United States Senate to confirm Jay as soon as possible.”
Speaking Thursday in the Oval Office, Trump said he still plans to keep Pulte in the role “for a while” after previously saying he wanted Pulte to step down. He called Clayton an “amazing talent.”
As US Attorney in Manhattan, Clayton oversees the Justice Department’s most prestigious prosecution offices, with a broad portfolio ranging from terrorism and espionage cases to securities fraud and public corruption.
He took over from interim US Attorney Danielle Sassoon, who resigned in February 2025 after refusing to comply with Justice Department orders to drop corruption charges against Mayor Eric Adams. The case was eventually dismissed after Washington prosecutors appealed to the judge.
The U.S. House Intelligence Committee plans to hold a confirmation hearing for Clayton on Wednesday, according to the person, who asked not to be identified to discuss it before the official announcement.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune, a Republican, told reporters that the Senate hopes to receive Clayton’s nomination papers from the White House as soon as Thursday.
Democrats want Pulte out
Democrats have held up the renewal of a key surveillance law, the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, in opposition to Trump’s decision to temporarily impeach Pulte. They said they would not support an extension of the law, which expires at midnight on Friday, until Trump rescinds Pulte’s nomination.
Trump previously said Pulte would take office on June 19. It is unclear whether the Senate can move quickly to confirm Clayton before that date.
“I don’t know what’s realistic, but we’re going to explore your limits,” Thune said.
Connecticut Rep. Jim Himes, the top Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee, said he had “known and respected” Clayton for decades and that if Trump had nominated him for DNI last week, “a lot of pain would have been avoided.”
“His intelligence, aggressiveness and dedication to public service will make him a formidable DNI,” said Himes.
Asked about Clayton’s nomination, Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer said, “Pulte needs to go.”
“He can’t be in the DNI role,” Schumer said. “It’s very important.”
