Senate confirms Clayton as Trump’s next intelligence director
Jay Clayton appears before the Senate Intelligence Committee during his confirmation hearing on Capitol Hill July 15, 2026 in Washington, DC. Aaron Schwartz/Getty Images
ByDavid DiMolfetta,
Cybersecurity Reporter, Nextgov/FCW
July 28, 2026 07:17 PM ET
The former SEC chairman will replace acting intelligence chief Bill Pulte, whose brief tenure oversaw repeated personnel cuts to the nation’s top spy office.
The Senate on Tuesday night confirmed Jay Clayton to serve as President Donald Trump’s second permanent national intelligence director, replacing an acting chief whose leadership alarmed Democrats and disrupted efforts to renew a major foreign surveillance program.
Clayton was confirmed in a 51-47 vote. He will oversee the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, which coordinates the work of the nation’s 18 intelligence agencies and serves as the president’s principal intelligence adviser.
His confirmation ends Bill Pulte’s roughly six-week tenure as acting director, during...
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