Jay Clayton to take charge as US intelligence chief on Monday

WEB DESK: Jay Clayton will assume charge as the United States’ top intelligence official on Monday, Acting Director of National Intelligence Bill Pulte announced.

Pulte said in a social media post on Saturday that the transition process for Clayton to take over as Director of National Intelligence (DNI) would be completed on Monday.

The US Senate, with Republican support, confirmed Clayton’s nomination this week despite opposition from Democrats following a contentious confirmation hearing.

Clayton, who has served as the US attorney for the Southern District of New York, will oversee the country’s 18 intelligence agencies after taking charge of the DNI office.

He is replacing Tulsi Gabbard, who stepped down from the role in June after a tenure marked by tensions with congressional Democrats. Critics accused Gabbard of promoting President Donald Trump’s political agenda and endorsing disputed claims about the 2020 election.

During Clayton’s confirmation hearings, Democrats criticised him for repeatedly declining to directly state that Trump lost the 2020 presidential election to Democrat Joe Biden.

Pulte, who also serves as Trump’s Federal Housing Finance Agency director, had ordered layoffs of intelligence personnel after becoming acting DNI in June, a move that drew criticism from Democrats over his limited national security background.