Jay Clayton, President Donald Trump’s pick to be the next director of national intelligence (DNI), said on July 15 that he will work to enhance trust, communication, and coordination.
Clayton, the U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York, testified before the Senate Intelligence Committee on Wednesday. He emphasized that he will take steps to increase trust in the DNI office, the intelligence community, and the federal government.
“The mission of the director of national intelligence is clear: to ensure that the policymakers and institutions that the intelligence community serves, especially the president, our military leaders, and Congress, receive the best possible intelligence in a timely, objective, and independent manner,” Clayton said.
Trump’s nominee said he would approach the role of DNI “mission-focused and team-oriented.” He said he would work to strengthen the coordination and communication between the intelligence community and the people it serves.
During his opening remarks, Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.), the committee’s chairman, said Clayton also intends to return the office of DNI to its original size, scope, and mission.
“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,” Trump said in a June 11 Truth Social post.
Pointing to the president’s decision to cancel Clayton’s initial hearing last month, Sen. Mark Warner (D-Va.), the top Democrat on the committee, said Wednesday that the process the committee went through to have Clayton’s confirmation hearing was “really pretty remarkable.”
Last month, Trump appointed Pulte, former director of the Federal Housing Finance Agency, to serve as acting DNI until the Senate could confirm a new director. Senate Democrats quickly opposed Pulte’s appointment. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) described him as “unqualified” with “no experience in intelligence.”
As the current U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York, Clayton has overseen cases on terrorism, espionage, public corruption, and security fraud. He has also led the prosecution of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and Maduro’s wife, Cilia Flores, on drug trafficking charges.
Clayton’s office previously helped unseal thousands of court records related to the prosecutions of deceased sex offender Jeffrey Epstein and his associate Ghislaine Maxwell.
In addition to serving as a U.S. attorney, Clayton formerly served as the head of the Securities and Exchange Commission from May 2017 until December 2020. Before working for the government, he was of counsel and senior policy adviser at Sullivan & Cromwell, one of the largest law firms in the world.
Clayton said his government experience prepared him for the DNI role.
“I saw firsthand how judgment, discipline, integrity, and most importantly, effective communication and cooperation across different branches of government are essential to our national security,” he said. “If confirmed, I will have those principles front of mind every day.”
