Trump nominates Jay Clayton as Director of National Intelligence

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.

"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.

He added, "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."

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 and Cromwell.

Clayton's 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 S.E.C.

Trump had announced earlier this month that Bill Pulte would serve as director of national intelligence in an acting capacity, taking over from DNI Tulsi Gabbard. The president has said that 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 to Trump that Clayton serve as DNI, a source with knowledge of the matter told NBC News. Trump had asked Ratcliffe for suggestions as to who should fill the role after Pulte was named only in an acting capacity.

The White House didn't immediately respond to a request for comment Thursday about whether Pulte will hold the position until Clayton is confirmed by the Senate.

Trump's announcement Thursday comes after he and the White House faced significant pushback over his decision in early June to name Pulte, who has no national security background, as acting DNI. As the head of the Federal Housing Finance Agency since March 2025, Pulte has helped the Trump administration compile information to fuel investigations into the president's perceived political enemies.

The president's selection of Pulte factored into the House failing Thursday to pass a short-term extension of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act as Democrats had made clear they wouldn't support the measure if Pulte was overseeing Section 702. That part of the law allows the federal government to surveil foreign nationals living abroad without obtaining warrants.

Trump said this week that Pulte would take over as DNI on June 19, slightly earlier than planned. Gabbard is stepping down from the role, citing her husband's cancer diagnosis.

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 DNI position. The office was created in the wake of the Sept. 11 attacks on the U.S., 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%.

This article was originally published on NBCNews.com