In a surprising twist, President Trump just announced that he is nominating Jay Clayton to become the next permanent Director of National Intelligence. Currently, Jay Clayton is the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York. During President Trump’s first term, he also served as chairman of the Securities and Exchange Commission. Independent journalist Breanna Morello shared more information on Clayton’s background in this post: BREAKING NEWS President Donald Trump is nominating Jay Clayton to replace Tulsi Gabbard as Director of National Intelligence. Clayton is currently the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York. Clayton was also tasked with investigating the late convicted sex… pic.twitter.com/WDLUzLMuDT — Breanna Morello (@BreannaMorello) June 11, 2026 BREAKING NEWS President Donald Trump is nominating Jay Clayton to replace Tulsi Gabbard as Director of National Intelligence. Clayton is currently the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York. Clayton was also tasked with investigating the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein’s associates last year. The President saying, “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. 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.” Read President Trump’s full announcement on Truth Social here: 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. 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! President DONALD J. TRUMP Jay Clayton will have to be confirmed by the Senate to the role. President Trump’s announcement comes amid controversy over his appointment of Bill Pulte to serve as acting DNI after Tulsi Gabbard’s departure. NBC News reported further: Trump had announced earlier this month that Bill Pulte would serve in the role in an acting capacity, taking over from DNI Tulsi Gabbard. The president has said that Pulte would hold the Cabinet position temporarily and said last week that he was interviewing five people to nominate for the job long-term. Trump’s nomination of Clayton comes after he and the White House faced significant pushback over his decision in early June to name Pulte, who has no national security background, as acting DNI. As the head of the Federal Housing Finance Agency since March 2025, Pulte has helped the Trump administration compile information to fuel investigations into the president’s perceived political enemies. The president’s selection of Pulte factored into the House failing Thursday to pass a short-term extension of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act as Democrats had made clear they wouldn’t support it if Pulte is overseeing Section 702. That part of the law allows the federal government to surveil foreign nations living abroad without obtaining warrants. Trump said earlier this week that Pulte would take over as DNI on June 19, slightly earlier than planned. Gabbard is stepping down from the role, citing her husband’s cancer diagnosis. Fox News provided further coverage in this clip: NEW: President Trump is nominating former SEC Chairman Jay Clayton as Director of National Intelligence after withdrawing acting DNI Bill Pulte's nomination following pushback from lawmakers, @markpmeredith reports. pic.twitter.com/4A5TcYA8Ck — Fox News (@FoxNews) June 11, 2026 What do you think? Is President Trump making the right move nominating Jay Clayton as DNI? What are your thoughts? TAP HERE TO ADD YOUR VOTE This is a Guest Post from our friends over at WLTReport. View the original article here.