Jay Clayton has been confirmed by the US Senate as the country's new director of national intelligence, replacing Bill Pulte, who had been serving as acting director after Donald Trump's initial pick proved controversial. The vote settles weeks of uncertainty over the top intelligence post, which fell vacant after Tulsi Gabbard's departure last month, and comes as the Trump administration seeks a steadier figure to lead the intelligence community and help push through renewal of surveillance powers under the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (Fisa).

The Senate backed Clayton by 51 votes to 47. He was previously US attorney for the Southern District of New York, where he handled high-profile cases including the drug trafficking prosecution of former Venezuelan president Nicolás Maduro, and has also worked as a securities regulator and federal prosecutor. Pulte, a housing official with no intelligence background, had drawn bipartisan criticism for using his other role to refer Trump's political opponents for possible prosecution and for overseeing steep staff cuts. During his confirmation hearing, Clayton faced repeated questioning over the 2020 election, insisting he was "not an election denier", though Democratic Senator Mark Warner said he still had "serious reservations" about whether Clayton would resist political pressure.