Jay Clayton Takes Oath as U.S. Director of National Intelligence

Jay Clayton was sworn in as the United States Director of National Intelligence in a ceremony held in the Oval Office, with President Donald Trump and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent present. The Senate confirmed his appointment by a narrow 51‑47 vote along party lines after a contentious hearing in which Clayton declined to directly acknowledge President Trump’s loss in the 2020 election.

Clayton, a former U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York and ex‑chair of the Securities and Exchange Commission, succeeds Tulsi Gabbard, who left the post in June. He pledged to oversee the nation’s 18 intelligence agencies with an emphasis on oversight, transparency, and preventing the intelligence community from being used for political purposes.