Trump scrambles to calm Republican revolt by announcing NEW intel chief pick

By JON MICHAEL RAASCH, WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT Published: 19:20, 11 June 2026 | Updated: 19:27, 11 June 2026 Donald Trump has nominated the former head of the Securities and Exchange Commission to lead the nation's top intelligence agency after Republicans were stunned by his previous pick.  The President announced that he nominated former SEC boss Jay Clayton to become the next Director of National Intelligence.   'I am pleased to announce the Nomination of very Highly Respected Jay Clayton ... to be the next Director of National Intelligence and, importantly, to serve in my Cabinet,' Trump posted on social media Thursday afternoon.  Clayton previously served as the head of Sullivan & Cromwell 'one of the most prominent and successful Law Firms anywhere in the World,' Trump wrote. Clayton is currently the US Attorney for the Southern District of New York.  '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's post continued.  The announcement came after Trump's allies and critics in Congress were shocked over his interim selection to lead the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI), Bill Pulte, who oversees federal housing finance.  Republicans in Congress were in open revolt over the selection of Pulte because he had no discernible previous experience with national intelligence.  Their outrage, combined with widespread Democratic opposition to Pulte, came to a head this week when a group of House conservatives sided with liberals to reject a proposal to extend a controversial surveillance measure.  Former SEC boss and US Attorney for the Southern District of New York Jay Clayton was nominated by Trump on Thursday to become the next Director of National Intelligence Clayton will replace Tulsi Gabbard as DNI after she announced she was stepping away from the role to tend to her husband, who has been diagnosed with a rare form of cancer Federal Housing Finance Agency Director Bill Pulte (L) was named by Trump as acting DNI amid Gabbard's departure. Pulte's elevation to the role by Trump concerned both Democratic and Republican lawmakers because he has no prior intelligence experience Section 702, a provision that allows government surveillance on domestic communications with certain foreign nationals, is set to expire on Friday unless a deal is reached.  Democrats have demanded that Pulte's tenure as ODNI boss not move forward as a part of any deal to renew Section 702.  Trump's announcement that Clayton will now serve as DNI shows the White House was listening to those demands. This is a breaking news story that will continue to be updated.   No comments have so far been submitted. Why not be the first to send us your thoughts, or debate this issue live on our message boards. By posting your comment you agree to our house rules. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual We will automatically post your comment and a link to the news story to your Facebook timeline at the same time it is posted on MailOnline. To do this we will link your MailOnline account with your Facebook account. We’ll ask you to confirm this for your first post to Facebook. You can choose on each post whether you would like it to be posted to Facebook. Your details from Facebook will be used to provide you with tailored content, marketing and ads in line with our Privacy Policy.