Key takeaways:
- Trump announced Jay Clayton’s nomination for director of national intelligence on Truth Social on Thursday.
- Clayton is the current U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York and a former chair of the Securities and Exchange Commission.
- CBS News reported that criticism of acting pick Bill Pulte has stalled work on extending a key spy power set to lapse this weekend.
President Donald Trump said Thursday he will nominate Jay Clayton, the U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York and a former chair of the Securities and Exchange Commission, to serve as the next director of national intelligence.
Trump announced the selection on Truth Social and urged the Senate to move quickly on the nomination.
“I am pleased to announce the Nomination of very Highly Respected Jay Clayton, former Chairman of the Securities and Exchange Commission, the former Head of Sullivan & Cromwell, one of the most prominent and successful Law Firms anywhere in the World, and the current United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, to be the next Director of National Intelligence and, importantly, to serve in my Cabinet,” Trump wrote. “Few people anywhere in the Legal Community are respected at the level of Jay. I encourage the United States Senate to confirm Jay as soon as possible. Thank you for your attention to this matter!”
Clayton’s nomination follows Trump’s earlier announcement that Bill Pulte would serve as acting director of national intelligence, taking over from Tulsi Gabbard. Trump has said Pulte would hold the Cabinet post temporarily and said last week he was interviewing five people for the long-term role.
CBS News reported that Pulte, Trump’s choice for acting director, has drawn strong criticism from Democrats and some Republicans on Capitol Hill. That criticism has stalled work on extending a key spy power set to lapse this weekend, CBS News reported, with Democrats refusing to agree to an extension as long as Pulte is set to assume the post.
Trump has said Pulte will take over for Gabbard on June 19.
Clayton previously led the SEC and was the head of Sullivan & Cromwell. He currently serves as the top federal prosecutor in the Southern District of New York, one of the country’s most prominent U.S. attorney’s offices.
The director of national intelligence is a Cabinet-level position, and Clayton’s nomination requires Senate confirmation.
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