Trump nominates Jay Clayton as Director of National Intelligence.

President Donald Trump has nominated Jay Clayton to serve as the United States Director of National Intelligence and has urged the Senate to move quickly on his confirmation.

The nomination was announced by the President on Truth Social on Thursday. Clayton is currently the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York.

During his first presidential term, the 59‑year‑old Clayton was chairman of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission from May 4 2017 until December 23 2020.

Earlier this month, Trump named Bill Pulte as acting Director of National Intelligence after Tulsi Gabbard indicated she would leave the administration at the end of June.

Pulte’s appointment drew criticism because he lacks a national‑security background. The businessman has been director of the Federal Housing Finance Agency since March 2025.

House Democrats rejected Pulte outright and said they would not support a short‑term extension of Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act if he remained acting DNI.

Section 702, established after 9/11, allows the U.S. government to conduct surveillance of non‑U.S. persons located outside the homeland.

Under the law, the National Security Agency and the Federal Bureau of Investigation can compel domestic technology companies to provide requested phone calls, emails, and text messages.