Trump picks Jay Clayton as national intelligence director

President Donald Trump said Thursday that he will nominate Jay Clayton as director of national intelligence, hours after objections by House Democrats to Trump’s incoming acting DNI, Bill Pulte ensured that a key national security tool will expire this week.

Clayton is currently the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York and is the former chairman of the Securities and Exchange Commission. He will have to be confirmed as DNI by the Senate.

Trump’s surprise announcement comes after more than a week over controversy over his appointment of Pulte, who is a top federal housing official, to replace current DNI Tulsi Gabbard in an acting role when she leaves that post.

Trump said Wednesday that Pulte would assume that role on June 19 as he looked for a permanent DNI.

The DNI oversees the broad U.S. intelligence community, which includes the Central Intelligence Agency and the National Security Agency.

Hours before Trump’s announcement, the House of Representatives rejected a proposal to extend Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act past Friday because Democrats refused to back the measure due to Trump’s choice of Pulte.

House members left Washington, D.C., after the 198-218 vote against the extension, and are not due back at the Capitol until June 23.

Trump called Clayton “very Highly respected” in a Truth Social post announcing the nomination.

“Few people anywhere in the Legal Community are respected at the level of Jay,” Trump wrote.

“I encourage the United States Senate to confirm Jay as soon as possible.”

Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., told reporters that Clayton has a “great reputation” and that the Republican Senate leadership will try to get him confirmed, “as quickly as possible.”

Asked if there was a realistic chance for Clayton to be confirmed before Pulte becomes acting DNI next week, Thune said,”I don’t know what realistic is, but we’re going to probe the limits of it.”

Thune said he had not been informed by the White House that Clayton would be nominated before Trump made his announcement.

Sen. Mark Warner, a Virginia Democrat who is the vice chairman of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, said he has “great respect for Jay Clayton.”

But Warner questioned why Trump had delayed naming Clayton, given the fact that the extension of Section 702 of FISA was known to be in peril because of Pulte’s appointment.

“Why he waited until after the House broke, I have no idea,” Warner said.

“If there was any level of serious concern about this in the White House, the House has already left town,” Warner said.

“Bill Pulte is a national security threat,” he said.

Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., echoed Warner, calling the selection of Clayton “seemingly a positive step.”

“But the President’s timing couldn’t be…