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President Donald Trump announced Thursday that he’s nominating Jay Clayton, the U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York, for the role of director of national intelligence.
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“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 in a post on Truth Social.
“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,” he added.
Clayton previously served as chair of the Securities and Exchange Commission during Trump’s first term and was a partner at top law firm Sullivan & Cromwell.
His nomination to be U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York stalled last year in the Senate; he was later appointed to the role by a federal judge. During Trump’s first term, the Senate confirmed Clayton in a 61-37 vote to lead the SEC.
Trump had announced this month that Bill Pulte would be acting director of national intelligence, taking over from Tulsi Gabbard. He had said Pulte would hold the Cabinet position temporarily, adding last week that he was interviewing five people to nominate for the job long term.
CIA Director John Ratcliffe recommended Clayton for director of national intelligence, a source with knowledge of the matter told NBC News. Trump had asked Ratcliffe for suggestions about who should fill the role after Pulte was named in an acting capacity.
Trump said this week that Pulte would take over as intelligence director on June 19, slightly earlier than planned. Gabbard is stepping down, citing her husband’s cancer diagnosis.
On Thursday, Trump told reporters that Pulte would stay in the role in an acting capacity until Clayton is confirmed.
“He’s only there for a little while,” Trump said. “He’s running it for a short while, while we get a very talented person, Jay Clayton.”
The Senate Intelligence Committee scheduled Clayton’s confirmation hearing for next Wednesday. If there is unanimous agreement to advance him, the committee could vote to send his nomination to the full Senate the next day; otherwise it might need to wait until late July.
Trump faced significant pushback, including concerns from some Republicans, over his decision in early June to name Pulte, who has no national security background, as acting intelligence director. As the head of the Federal Housing Finance Agency since March 2025, Pulte has helped the Trump administration compile information to fuel investigations into Trump’s perceived political enemies.
His selection factored into the House’s failure Thursday to pass a short-term extension of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, as Democrats had made it clear they wouldn’t support the measure if Pulte was overseeing Section 702. That part of the law allows the federal government to conduct surveillance of foreign nationals living abroad without obtaining warrants.
Democratic lawmakers expressed support for Clayton after Trump’s announcement but said they still had reservations if Pulte had any role at the Office of the Director of National Intelligence.
“I have great respect for Jay Clayton,” Sen. Mark Warner of Virginia, the top Democrat on the Intelligence Committee, told reporters. But, he added, having Pulte assume the acting leadership meant Democrats would not release their hold on extending Section 702 of FISA.
The top Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee said he has “known and respected Jay Clayton for decades.”
“His intelligence, temperament and deep commitment to public service will make him a terrific DNI. Had this nomination been made a week ago, lots of pain may have been avoided,” Rep. Jim Himes, D-Conn., said on X.
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., told reporters it “doesn’t matter” what the administration does, “Pulte’s gotta go.”
“The DNI role is too important. He cannot be there, no ands, ifs or buts. No matter what else they do,” Schumer said.
Trump and Republicans in Congress have argued that the Office of the Director of National Intelligence has grown too large and have even questioned the need for the director position. The office was created in the wake of the Sept. 11 attacks amid revelations that spy agencies failed to share intelligence across the government about terrorist threats.
Trump said last week that he would like to see the office “smaller,” saying in an interview with The Wall Street Journal that “there are a lot of people in there that shouldn’t be there.”
Gabbard said last year she had cut the ODNI workforce by 40%.
Rebecca Shabad is a politics reporter for NBC News based in Washington.
Sarah Dean is a White House Producer for NBC News.
Dan De Luce is a reporter for the NBC News Investigative Unit.
© 2026 NBCUniversal Media, LLC
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