WASHINGTON – President Donald Trump said on June 11 he is nominating federal prosecutor Jay Clayton to be the next director of national intelligence, following pushback from US lawmakers over his pick to fill the role temporarily.
“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,” Trump said in Truth Social post.
Clayton is currently US attorney for the Southern District of New York and a former chairman of the Securities and Exchange Commission.
Trump said loyalist and head of the federal housing agency Bill Pulte would take over as acting director on June 19 to replace Tulsi Gabbard, who resigned effective June 30.
Pulte’s appointment sparked a political standoff that has derailed renewal of an expiring surveillance law.
The Republican-controlled US House of Representatives on June 11 rejected a short-term extension of foreign surveillance powers sought by Trump. REUTERS
