Trump taps prosecutor Jay Clayton as next director of national intelligence

Politics Trump nominating prosecutor Jay Clayton to be next director of national intelligence By Kathryn Watson Kathryn Watson Politics Reporter Kathryn Watson is a politics reporter for CBS News Digital, based in Washington, D.C. Read Full Bio Kathryn Watson June 11, 2026 / 2:14 PM EDT / CBS News Add CBS News on Google Washington — President Trump on Thursday announced he's nominating Jay Clayton, the current U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York, to be the next director of national intelligence.The president urged the Senate to confirm Clayton "as soon as possible." Mr. Trump's pick for acting director of national intelligence, Bill Pulte, has attracted strong criticism from Democrats and some Republicans on Capitol Hill, stalling work on extending a key spy power that is set to lapse this weekend. Democrats are refusing to agree to an extension as long as Pulte is set to assume the role. The president said Pulte will take over for Tulsi Gabbard on June 19.Mr. Trump made the announcement of his selection of Clayton on Truth Social. "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 wrote. "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. Thank you for your attention to this matter!"This is a breaking news story and will be updated.  .component--type-recirculation { .item:nth-child(7), .card-recirc:nth-child(7) { display: none; } } #inline-recirc-item--id-ebcf798e-33b9-47f6-a8c9-e71adbe360b6, #right-rail-recirc-item--id-ebcf798e-33b9-47f6-a8c9-e71ad...