President Donald Trump on Thursday nominated Jay Clayton, the current United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York and former Chairman of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, to serve as the Director of National Intelligence (DNI). If confirmed, would succeed acting DNI Bill Pulte in the role, which oversees the coordination of the U.S. intelligence community.
“I am pleased to announce the Nomination of very Highly Respected Jay Clayton, former Chairman of the Securities and Exchange Commission, the former Head of Sullivan & Cromwell, one of the most prominent and successful Law Firms anywhere in the World, and the current United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, to be the next Director of National Intelligence and, importantly, to serve in my Cabinet,” the president announced in a Truth Social post.
“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,” he added.
Clayton previously served as SEC Chairman under President Trump from 2017 through 2020. After leaving the SEC, he held roles at Apollo Global Management and returned to Sullivan & Cromwell as senior policy advisor and of counsel, while teaching at the University of Pennsylvania.
In 2025, he became U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York — one of the most prestigious positions in the Justice Department — first on an interim basis and later through court appointment after Senate delays.
NEW: President Trump said that he is nominating the current U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York and former U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission Chairman Jay Clayton to head the Office of the Director of National Intelligence.https://t.co/j4vULQakc7 pic.twitter.com/gEZO5sBv5A
— ABC News (@ABC) June 11, 2026
The nomination follows Trump’s early selection of Bill Pulte, the director of the Federal Housing Finance Agency, as acting DNI. Pulte’s long-term confirmation encountered significant opposition in the Senate, primarily due to concerns over his lack of national security or intelligence experience.
The Senate will now consider Clayton’s nomination through the Intelligence Committee and full chamber processes. Confirmation would place Clayton in a key Cabinet role, continuing a pattern of Trump selecting individuals with prior service in his first administration for second-term positions.
Clayton’s nomination follows the resignation of former DNI Tulsi Gabbard, who had served in the key role since the start of the president’s term. Gabbard was forced to resign in order to care for her husband after a tragic bone cancer diagnosis.
