Trump to nominate New York attorney for national intelligence role

President Donald Trump on Thursday announced on social media he will nominate former U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission Chairman Jay Clayton to serve as the next director of national intelligence. Clayton is the current U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York. The president said in his post he wants to see the Senate confirm Clayton as soon as possible.

What happened to Acting Director Bill Pulte? Pulte will continue in his full-time role as director of the Federal Housing Finance Agency and chairman of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. Trump said Pulte will add the interim role as acting director of national intelligence when Tulsi Gabbard steps down on June 19, more than a week before her original planned departure date at the end of June.

Members of Congress from both parties have voiced concerns about Pulte’s lack of experience, and Democrats vowed to block reauthorization of Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, or FISA, unless President Trump replaced Pulte. The provision permits the warrantless surveillance of foreigners located outside the United States. Trump’s announcement came hours after the House of Representatives failed to pass a short-term FISA extension to July 2. The current deadline is Friday at midnight.

Dig deeper: Read Joanna Insco’s explainer on FISA.