Bill Pulte steps down, Jay Clayton named US DNI

Bill Pulte, the acting Director of National Intelligence, will step down on Monday, August 3, 2026, concluding a two-month tenure and handing leadership of the nation's intelligence community to the newly confirmed Jay Clayton. Pulte announced the transition in a social media post on Saturday, August 1, stating he had coordinated the handover with President Donald Trump and Clayton.

Clayton, a former U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York and former chairman of the Securities and Exchange Commission, was confirmed by the Senate on Tuesday, July 28, by a vote of 51-47 along party lines. His confirmation followed a contentious hearing where he lost bipartisan support after repeatedly refusing to affirm that Joe Biden won the 2020 presidential election. The Senate had initially hoped to confirm Clayton in June, but the process was delayed by the White House.

Pulte, who leads the Federal Housing Finance Agency, was appointed as the interim intelligence director following the resignation of former Director Tulsi Gabbard. His selection drew immediate criticism from Republican lawmakers who argued he lacked the necessary national security experience for the role. During...