Tipsheet

Senate Confirms Tulsi Gabbard's Permanent Successor

Cameron Arcand
Cameron Arcand  |  July 28, 2026 6:52 PM

The United States Senate confirmed Jay Clayton to be the director of National Intelligence on Tuesday night in a 51-47 vote.

Clayton most recently served as the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York. He will be the permanent successor to Tulsi Gabbard, who resigned as Gabbard's husband battles cancer.

“Amid a heightened threat environment, having a proven leader as the director of national intelligence is especially important, and Jay Clayton fits the mold,” Senate Majority Leader John Thune said on the Senate floor on Monday.

Following Gabbard’s resignation, Bill Pulte served as acting DNI at President Donald Trump’s request. Pulte is also the director of the Federal Housing Finance Agency.

Trump had Pulte in the role to preside over a downsizing of the DNI office, as critics argued that the housing expert did not have the background necessary to work in the intelligence role.

“So deeply grateful to POTUS for letting me be acting Director of National Intelligence,” Pulte tweeted Sunday.

“He is, truly, the best, and it is a blessing to work for him. While it’s been only a few weeks, so much has already been accomplished —Operationally, AND, Transparency. Thank you, POTUS,” he added.

As for Clayton, his nomination got the backing of Republicans, including Trump critics.

“I was encouraged by the President’s nomination of Jay Clayton to be the Director of National Intelligence,” Sen. Mitch McConnell posted last month, but he was not present for the vote due to his current medical condition.

“Mr. Clayton is known to the Senate, and his distinguished prior service, overseeing sensitive financial investigations as SEC Chair and leading consequential national security prosecutions as U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York, suggests he has the intellect, temperament, managerial capacity, discretion, and experience required by statute for this position,” the Kentucky senator added at the time.