President Donald Trump announced his nomination of Jay Clayton to be director of national intelligence on Thursday, hours after House Democrats’ opposition to the next acting director of national intelligence, Bill Parto, ensured a key national security tool expired this week.
Mr. Clayton is currently the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York and is a former Chairman of the Securities and Exchange Commission. He must be confirmed as DNI by the Senate.
President Trump’s surprise announcement came after more than a week of controversy over the appointment of Pulte, the head of the federal housing authority, to replace current DNI Tulsi Gabbard when she retires.
President Trump announced Wednesday that Pulte, who has served as an attack dog for multiple Trump opponents since last year, will assume the role on June 19 in the search for a permanent DNI. Mr. Pulte has no background in intelligence work.
President Trump said Pruitt will lead the Federal Housing Finance Agency and continue in his role as chairman of the mortgage group. fannie mae And Freddie Mac.
The DNI oversees the broader U.S. intelligence community, including the Central Intelligence Agency and the National Security Agency.
Hours before Trump’s announcement, the House of Representatives last Friday rejected a proposal to extend Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act after Democrats refused to support the bill, citing Trump’s choice of Mr. Pulte.
House members left Washington, D.C., after voting 198-218 against the extension and are not scheduled to return to the Capitol until June 23.
In a post on Truth Social announcing his nomination, Trump called Creighton “highly respected.”
“Few people anywhere in the legal profession are more respected than Jay,” President Trump wrote.
“I encourage the United States Senate to confirm Jay as soon as possible.”
As head of the Manhattan U.S. Attorney’s Office, Clayton oversaw some of the highest-profile federal criminal prosecutions in the United States, including the drug-trafficking case against former Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro, who was captured by U.S. forces in Caracas in early January.
In an interview with CNBC’s “Squawk Box” last week, Creighton said “it’s natural for the American people to have questions” about the results of California’s primary election, which has been the subject of right-wing conspiracy theories about voter fraud.
“I’m not saying there’s fraud,” Clayton said.
Trump has long claimed that he and other Republicans were victims of voter fraud.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune, a Republican, told reporters that Creighton has a “high reputation” and that Republican Senate leaders will work to secure his confirmation “as soon as possible.”
Asked whether it was realistic to confirm Creighton before Pruitt takes over as acting DNI next week, Thune said, “I don’t know what is realistic, but we will explore the limits of that.”
Thune said he was not informed by the White House of Creighton’s nomination before Trump’s announcement.
“I have great respect for Jay Clayton,” said Sen. Mark Warner (D-Virginia), vice chairman of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence.
But Mr. Warner questioned why Mr. Trump delayed Mr. Clayton’s nomination, even though it was known that the extension of FISA Section 702 was in jeopardy with Mr. Pruitt’s appointment.
“I have no idea why he waited until the House collapsed,” Warner said.
“If the White House had any serious concerns about this, they’ve already left town,” Warner said.
“Bill Pelt is a national security threat,” he said.
Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., echoed Warner’s sentiments, calling Creighton’s selection “on the face of it a positive step.”
“But the president’s timing couldn’t have been worse,” Blumenthal said. “We’re literally waiting until everyone leaves town and there’s no chance of us moving forward with FISA until next week.”
“It’s completely unclear why Creighton wasn’t nominated in the first place,” Blumenthal said.
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer of New York did not comment directly on Creighton’s appointment, but told reporters it was important that Pruitt not serve as DNI.
“The DNI’s role is extremely important,” Schumer said. “He’s not supposed to be there. No ifs, or buts.”
“It doesn’t matter what else they do. Pulte has to go. He’s still in that role,” Schumer said.
President Trump said Wednesday that he has asked Pulte to “immediately carry out the necessary downsizing of offices and bring staff back to their home base.”
When President Trump began his second term in January 2025, the DNI office had about 1,800 employees, according to Federal News Network.
The DNI office said in an August 2025 fact sheet that Gabbard later cut nearly 30% of the office’s workforce and detailed plans for further cuts.
— MS NOW, CNBC’s Emily Wilkins and Karen Sloan contributed to this article.
