Trump names new spy chief after pushback over previous pick

The nomination comes after lawmakers objected to his first selection, Bill Pulte, over a lack of relevant experience.

US President Donald Trump on Thursday named prosecutor Jay Clayton as his new intelligence chief, after a backlash from Republicans over his bid to install an inexperienced ally in the post. Trump's naming of loyalist housing official Bill Pulte as acting Director of National Intelligence earlier this month despite having no intelligence background had sparked an uproar.

Trump's naming of loyalist housing official Bill Pulte as acting Director of National Intelligence earlier this month despite having no intelligence background had sparked an uproar. Clayton is a US attorney for the Southern District of New York and was director of the Securities and Exchange Commission in Trump's first term in office.

Democrats have accused President Trump of throwing a grenade into negotiations to renew a key spy authority—known as Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act—set to expire Friday. Members of Congress in both parties have been critical of Mr. Trump's decision to appoint housing regulator Bill Pulte as acting director of national intelligence.

President Donald Trump reversed his decision to appoint Bill Pulte as Acting Director of National Intelligence (DNI) following bipartisan backlash over Pulte's lack of experience in national security and intelligence. Instead, Trump nominated Jay Clayton—former SEC Chairman and current U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York—for the permanent DNI role. This change followed the House's failure to pass a temporary extension of FISA Section 702, a key surveillance law, partly due to opposition linked to Trump’s insistence on installing Pulte.

A lapse in a law allowing the U.S. to gather intelligence abroad is likely after President Trump's appointment of Bill Pulte as acting director of national intelligence, which faced bipartisan opposition.