US President Donald Trump has put forward the name of Jay Clayton for the post of Director of National Intelligence (DNI). Trump said on the social media platform Truth Social that Clayton is highly respected in the legal world and the Senate should approve his name as soon as possible. Clayton will be the acting director.
Clayton’s appointment comes at a time when there is controversy over Bill Pulte, Trump’s first chosen acting intelligence chief. Bill Pulte is considered close to Trump and people also call him Little Trump. His appointment was opposed by leaders of both the Democratic and Republican parties due to his lack of experience in national security or intelligence matters. After this, Republican MPs also demanded Trump to declare the name of an experienced and permanent candidate.
Who is Jay Clayton?
Jay Clayton has been a long-time corporate lawyer. During Trump’s first term, he was the head of the US financial regulatory body US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). Currently he is the US Attorney for the Southern District of New York. During his tenure, Clayton paid special attention to violent crimes and drug-related issues, which have been Trump’s priorities. He also took action on insider trading cases on Wall Street. He was among the officials who signed the chargesheet against former Venezuelan President Nicolas.
Clayton wants to become CIA Chief
Clayton’s name has been in discussion before for many big posts. After the presidential election, he had also shown interest in becoming the CIA chief and was also interviewed for the post of Attorney General. He is said to have a good relationship with Trump and has also played golf with him several times.
If the Senate approves his appointment, he will replace Tulsi Gabbard. Gabbard resigned last month. The post of DNI was created after the 9/11 attacks and under this, 18 intelligence agencies of America are monitored. There have been many controversies and resignations in this department in recent months, hence Clayton’s appointment is considered important.
Also read: Trump said – war with Iran is over, will not make nuclear weapons; Tehran said – no deal was done
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