United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York Jay Clayton will be President Donald Trump’s nominee to be the permanent Director of National Intelligence.
His nomination comes after DNI Tulsi Gabbard's resignation, as her husband fights bone cancer.
Trump wrote on Truth Social on Thursday afternoon that “few people anywhere in the Legal Community are respected at the level of Jay” and he wants the Senate to confirm Clayton “as soon as possible.” During the first Trump administration, Clayton oversaw the Securities and Exchange Commission.
She will be leaving her role on June 19, as Trump has brought in Federal Housing Finance Agency Director Bill Pulte to serve in the role in an acting capacity with the mission of shrinking the office’s size.
“I have named William Pulte to be Acting Director of National Intelligence, who will take over on June 19th, and have asked him to execute the immediate and needed downsizing of the office, reverting staff to their home agencies,” Trump posted on Wednesday morning.
Pulte’s appointment garnered significant backlash from Democrats, and many voted against the three-week extension of FISA Section 702, a foreign surveillance policy, in the House because of it.
"Bill Pulte has no relevant national security experience,” House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries and other House Democratic leadership said in a joint statement.
“Consequently, his appointment is in defiance of the law that requires the Director of National Intelligence to have 'extensive' national security experience. The apparent motivation for his elevation is the demonstrated willingness of Bill Pulte to search government databases for alleged dirt on President Trump’s chosen political enemies,” the Democrats continued.
Trump noted Wednesday that multiple individuals were being interviewed for the position, quipping that he would "rather have [someone] smart than experienced."
President Trump on DNI search: "I'd rather have smart than experienced, but experienced is good, too...we're interviewing five different people." pic.twitter.com/YB0gtJ8twQ
— CSPAN (@cspan) June 10, 2026