Bill Pulte’s time as acting director of national intelligence may end up being exceedingly brief.
On Wednesday, President Donald Trump indicated on social media that Pulte would take over as interim intelligence chief on June 19.
On Thursday, Trump tapped Jay Clayton, a former Securities and Exchange Commission chairman and current U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York, as his formal nominee for the role, which requires Senate confirmation.
“Few people anywhere in the Legal Community are respected at the level of Jay,” Trump wrote on Truth Social. “I encourage the United States Senate to confirm Jay as soon as possible.”
The president’s pick follows bipartisan backlash over the interim appointment of Pulte, who has served as director of the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) and chairman of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac since March 2025. A former private equity CEO, Pulte has no reported national security experience.
Just hours before Trump announced Clayton’s nomination, the House of Representatives rejected a proposal by a 218-198 margin that would have extended Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act through July 2. That section of the FISA law, which authorizes warrantless surveillance of foreign targets located outside the U.S., is set to expire Friday.
Senate Democrats subsequently blocked a proposed extension of the spy law in the upper chamber, with Minority Leader Chuck Schumer specifically citing the Pulte appointment as a sticking point.
“It doesn’t matter what else they do — Pulte has got to be gone,” Schumer told reporters, according to Politico.
Asked last week if he believes Pulte has the necessary national security qualifications to run the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, Trump replied, “I think he does, actually, because he’s smart.”
But the president acknowledged Thursday that he is “looking for a permanent ODNI Nominee with experience in National Security,” while also saying he has asked Pulte to “execute the immediate and needed downsizing of the office, reverting staff to their home agencies.”
In the same social media missive, Trump implored Congress to “send me a short-term extension of FISA to provide time for the selection and confirmation of a permanent Head of the Agency.”
