President Trump has nominated Jay Clayton, the former Chairman of the Securities and Exchange Commission, to be the next Director of National Intelligence (DNI).
Clayton is currently the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York.
Trump’s announcement follows bipartisan opposition to his appointment of top federal housing official Bill Pulte to serve as acting DNI.
“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,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.
Breaking News: President Trump will nominate Jay Clayton for national intelligence director after Bill Pulte drew bipartisan opposition. https://t.co/NrKJwHQ3hc
— The New York Times (@nytimes) June 11, 2026
CNBC shared further:
Trump on Wednesday said that Pulte would assume that role on June 19 as he looked for a permanent DNI.
ADVERTISEMENTThe DNI oversees the broad U.S. intelligence community, which includes the Central Intelligence Agency and the National Security Agency.
Hours before Trump’s announcement, the House of Representatives rejected a proposal to extend Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, a key national security tool, past Friday because Democrats refused to back the measure due to Trump’s choice of Pulte.
“Outstanding choice by President Trump to nominate Jay Clayton to be the new Director of National Intelligence. He has real-world experience, the complete confidence of the President and has performed every task in the public and private sectors in an exemplary manner. I look forward to making sure that Jay is confirmed and can take on his responsibilities ASAP,” Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) commented.
Outstanding choice by President Trump to nominate Jay Clayton to be the new Director of National Intelligence. He has real-world experience, the complete confidence of the President and has performed every task in the public and private sectors in an exemplary manner.
I look… pic.twitter.com/RHRF1SSptL— Lindsey Graham (@LindseyGrahamSC) June 11, 2026
POLITICO has more:
Senate Majority Leader John Thune praised Clayton for having “a great reputation as being an incredibly competent manager” and a “very qualified professional with a great skill set.”
But it remained unclear how quickly the Senate might confirm Clayton, who will have to fill out a detailed questionnaire, undergo an FBI background check and sit for a public hearing, among other steps before a final vote.
Thune said he hoped Clayton could be processed “fairly quickly” given his prior confirmation as Securities and Exchange commissioner: “I don’t know what realistic is but we’re going to probe the limits of it.”
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said Trump’s announcement did not change Democrats’ posture on a FISA extension.
“It doesn’t matter what else they do. Pulte has got to be gone,” he says.
The director of national intelligence serves the president’s top intelligence adviser. They are also responsible for overseeing the spy community’s budget, and coordinating intelligence analysis across the 18 U.S. spy agencies.
ADVERTISEMENTThe DNI does not have the authority to order foreign spying operations, however, and their influence from administration to administration has waxed and waned with the officeholder’s personal rapport with the president.
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