US Senate confirms Jay Clayton as Director of National Intelligence

Jay Clayton testifies during his Senate Intelligence Committee confirmation hearing in the Dirksen Building on July 15. (Tom Williams/CQ Roll Call)

By Savannah Behrmann Posted July 28, 2026 at 7:30pm

The Senate on Tuesday evening confirmed Walter "Jay" Clayton to be President Donald Trump's new director of national intelligence.

The vote was 51-47 along party lines, with no Democrats joining Republicans. Clayton will replace Bill Pulte, whose temporary appointment last month drew sharp criticism from Democrats following the resignation of former DNI Tulsi Gabbard.

Support from Republicans

Calling Clayton a "proven leader," Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., highlighted Clayton's high-profile work as U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York, including prosecuting terrorists and helping to indict Venezuelan strongman Nicolás Maduro.

"Jay Clayton's record inspires confidence in the type of DNI that he will be," Thune said this week on the Senate floor.

Democratic Concerns

Despite their eagerness to replace Pulte, Democrats expressed disappointment with Clayton, citing his performance before the Senate Intelligence Committee earlier this month. They pressed him on subpoenas of New York Times reporters and complained that he dodged questions about who won the 2020 election.

"I've known Jay for a long time. I like Jay. I worked well with him when he was at the SEC," Senate Intelligence ranking member Mark Warner, D-Va., said on "Face the Nation," referring to Clayton's past role leading the Securities and Exchange Commission. "But I was bitterly disappointed by his performance in front of my committee."

On Tuesday, Warner said in a statement: "Now that he has been confirmed, I sincerely hope he proves those concerns unfounded, because the Intelligence Community deserves steadier leadership than it has received in recent months."

ODNI Role and Staff Reductions

The confirmation comes amid debate over the Office of the Director of National Intelligence's role and the size of the U.S. intelligence community. Pulte followed through on Trump's threat to cut intelligence jobs, posting Tuesday that he was "Executing a 5th and Near Final Round of TERMINATIONS, an approximately 30% Staff Reduction from Weeks Ago."

Democrats had written to Pulte, who also heads the Federal Housing Finance Agency, last month warning him against such firings, arguing they were inappropriate for an acting official not confirmed by the Senate.

FISA Reauthorization

With Pulte out, some hope to see progress on reauthorizing the now-expired Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, which allows the U.S. government to collect digital communications of foreigners located outside the country.

Democrats had vowed to halt negotiations until a permanent DNI was in place. Trump further complicated matters by insisting that any action on FISA should be paired with passage of unrelated voter ID legislation known as the SAVE America Act. In June, Trump aired those demands and abruptly instructed Clayton not to appear for his original confirmation hearing, delaying his nomination by weeks.

Senators caution that Tuesday's vote will not bring a quick fix on FISA. Some privacy-minded members in both parties want changes to the program, including warrant requirements for Americans swept up in searches.

A Somber Day

The vote on Clayton came on an otherwise somber day for senators, who spent much of the morning and afternoon remembering the late Sen. Lindsey Graham.