Jay Clayton is the current US Attorney for the Southern District of New York
President Donald Trump has nominated Jay Clayton, the current US Attorney for the Southern District of New York, as director of national intelligence (DNI), and urged the Senate to confirm him as soon as possible.
Clayton is also a former chairman of the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).
He has overseen several high-profile prosecutions, including the drug trafficking case against former Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro, who was captured in early January.
Trump’s announcement came after a House vote rejected an extension of Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, causing the key national security tool to expire.
House Democrats blocked the measure to protest Trump’s plan to install Bill Pulte—a federal housing official with no intelligence background—as acting DNI on June 19 to replace outgoing Director Tulsi Gabbard.
The Senate Select Committee on Intelligence has already fast-tracked Clayton’s confirmation hearing for June 17.