Jay Clayton, nominated by President Donald Trump for Director of National Intelligence, arrives to attend a Senate Intelligence Committee confirmation hearing at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., on July 15, 2026. (Reuters/Nathan Howard)

On the 21st (local time), the U.S. Senate Select Committee on Intelligence approved the nomination of Jay Clayton as the next Director of National Intelligence and forwarded it to the full Senate for consideration.

President Donald Trump nominated Clayton for the position last month while he was serving as the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York. Bill Pulte, the current Director of the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA), is serving as the Acting Director of National Intelligence (DNI).

According to The Hill, the Senate Intelligence Committee passed Clayton's nomination in a closed-door session by a vote of 9 to 8.

Senate Intelligence Committee Chairman Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) told reporters, "Jay Clayton is a highly capable nominee with extensive experience addressing a wide range of national security threats," adding, "I am pleased that the Senate Intelligence Committee has approved his nomination for Director of National Intelligence. Once confirmed, I look forward to working with Mr. Clayton to keep the American people safe and continue the reform of the intelligence community."

It is not immediately clear when the full Senate will hold a vote on Clayton’s nomination, but Senate Republicans hope to finalize the confirmation before the August recess begins next month.

U.S. NNP = Representative Reporter Hong Sung-gu / Special Correspondent for the paper, NNP info@newsandpost.com