Jay Clayton Sworn In As Trump’s New DNI As Bill Pulte Steps Aside
Jay Clayton was sworn in Monday as President Trump’s new director of national intelligence, officially taking control of America’s intelligence community after acting DNI Bill Pulte unexpectedly agreed to step aside earlier than planned.
Clayton, the former chairman of the Securities and Exchange Commission and most recently the U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York, was confirmed by the Senate last week in a 51-47 party-line vote. He will now oversee and coordinate the nation’s 18 intelligence agencies, including the CIA and NSA.
The transition was originally expected to take another two weeks. Clayton was supposed to remain in New York temporarily to wrap up his work as U.S. attorney, while Pulte continued overseeing another round of workforce reductions at the Office of the Director of National Intelligence.
Instead, Pulte announced over the weekend that after discussions with President Trump and Clayton, the transition would take place Monday. His early departure means Clayton will immediately inherit an intelligence bureaucracy that has already undergone substantial restructuring under the Trump administration.
During his brief tenure as acting DNI, Pulte oversaw a roughly 30% reduction in ODNI staffing through layoffs and the return of personnel who had been detailed from other agencies. He also declassified intelligence connected to the 2020 election, including material President Trump later cited while accusing China of election interference.
Clayton signaled that he intends to continue emphasizing a leaner intelligence operation, saying he wants to lead a community that is “streamlined, agile, team-oriented, and mission-focused.” He added that protecting the safety and security of the American people would serve as the organization’s guiding priority.
President Trump has given Clayton broad freedom to determine how he wants to run the intelligence community. Asked whether Clayton should continue Pulte’s work, Trump said he wanted the new DNI to do what he believes is necessary and described Clayton as “outstanding.”
Clayton succeeds Tulsi Gabbard, President Trump’s first Senate-confirmed intelligence chief of his second administration, who resigned earlier this summer to care for her husband. With Clayton now formally in charge, the administration enters its next phase of reshaping the intelligence community after Pulte’s aggressive round of staffing cuts and declassification efforts.