U.S. Senate confirms Jay Clayton as director of national intelligence
The U.S. Senate confirmed the appointment of Jay Clayton, prosecutor for the Southern District of New York, as director of national intelligence.
His candidacy was supported by 51 senators in the vote, while 47 voted against, including all representatives of the Democratic Party.
Democrats initially welcomed Clayton's nomination, considering him a more acceptable alternative to acting director of national intelligence William Pulte, but changed their attitude toward him during the hearings, AFP reports. In particular, Democratic senators repeatedly asked Clayton whether Joe Biden won the 2020 presidential election, to which he evasively replied that the Democrat had been "recognized" as the winner. Current White House occupant Donald Trump has repeatedly claimed that the results of those elections were allegedly rigged in favor of his opponent, which is not supported by facts.
Jay Clayton has served as federal prosecutor for the Southern District of New York since 2025. He oversaw several high-profile cases, including an investigation into former Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro on drug trafficking charges. Clayton has no experience in intelligence or national security. Despite this, he will now head the U.S. intelligence community, which unites 18 agencies, including the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), the National Security Agency (NSA) and the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA).
Previous director of national intelligence Tulsi Gabbard resigned in May, citing her husband's serious illness. After that, Donald Trump appointed William Pulte, director of the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA), as acting head of national intelligence. This decision caused concern among representatives of both parties, who pointed out that Pulte lacked the necessary experience.
AFP notes that during his brief tenure, Pulte initiated the transfer of materials for possible criminal prosecution of a number of Trump's political opponents and oversaw large-scale staff reductions at the office of the director of national intelligence. Hours before the vote on confirming Clayton's candidacy, Pulte stated that after the fifth wave of dismissals, the total staff reduction in the intelligence coordination body would reach approximately 30 percent.
Trump proposed Jay Clayton's candidacy to lawmakers in June, noting that the Southern District of New York prosecutor had previously worked successfully as head of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and gained professional experience at the law firm Sullivan & Cromwell.
Source: DW
