President Trump nominated U.S. Attorney Jay Clayton on Thursday to serve as the permanent Director of National Intelligence.
The move follows intense bipartisan backlash against the previous choice, Bill Pulte, an ally with no intelligence experience who had been serving in an acting capacity. Lawmakers had refused to renew FISA, a critical foreign surveillance law, until a qualified permanent nominee was selected to lead the nation's 18 spy agencies. While Clayton has experience as a federal prosecutor and former SEC chairman, critics highlight his lack of traditional intelligence credentials and recent public comments questioning election integrity.
The Senate is now expected to move quickly toward a confirmation vote to prevent the surveillance authorities from expiring.
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