Jump to contentIndependentSwipe for next articleIndependent Bulletin homepageDownload our appAllNewsSportCultureLifestyleJohn BowdenWednesday 29 July 2026 01:10 BSTPresident Trump Nominates Jay Clayton As Intelligence ChiefWalter Joseph "Jay" Clayton was confirmed by the Senate as the next Director of National Intelligence (DNI).His confirmation, with a 51-47 vote, ends a legislative stalemate that had been affecting the reauthorization of Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA).Democrats had opposed the acting DNI, Bill Pulte, due to his lack of national security background and his controversial actions, linking his removal to their support for FISA reauthorization.Pulte's tenure at the ODNI was marked by waves of layoffs and purges of career intelligence officials, perceived as targeting those not aligned with President Donald Trump.Clayton's nomination was expected to pass despite his refusal to state that the 2020 presidential election was duly defeated during his confirmation hearing.In fullSenate confirms Jay Clayton as Trump’s intelligence director in likely end to spying law stalemateMore bulletinsThank you for registeringPlease refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in