Jay Clayton, US attorney for the Southern District of New York (SDNY), during the Bloomberg Global Credit Forum in New York, US, on Wednesday, June 3, 2026. Photographer: Michael Nagle/Bloomberg via Getty Images
President Donald Trump announced Thursday that he is nominating Jay Clayton to serve as the next Director of National Intelligence, selecting the former Securities and Exchange Commission chairman and current U.S. attorney for the southern District of New York to lead the nation's intelligence community.
Trump via Truth Social
Trump announced the nomination in a social media post, praising Clayton's experience in government and law enforcement, saying "few people anywhere in the Legal Community are respected at the level of Jay."
The backstory:
Once confirmed, Clayton will take over for Tulsi Gabbard, who resigned from the role last month citing helping to care for her husband's rare cancer diagnosis.
Dig deeper:
Clayton is known for serving as chairman of the SEC during Trump's first administration, where he oversaw financial market regulation and enforcement matters. More recently, he has served as U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York, one of the nation's most prominent federal prosecutorial offices.
The Source: This story was written with information provided by Reuters and the Truth Social account from President Donald Trump. This story was reported from Orlando.