Jay Clayton, nominee for the head of US intelligence agencies [AP=Yonhap News Archive Photo]

U.S. President Donald Trump on the 11th (local time) nominated Jay Clayton, the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York, as the new Director of National Intelligence (DNI).

President Trump announced on the social media platform Truth Social that day, "I am pleased to announce that I am nominating the highly respected Clayton as the next DNI, and above all, that he will be working in my cabinet."

He also introduced Clayton's career, stating that the prosecutor "served as former Chairman of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and former head of Sullivan & Cromwell, one of the most distinguished and successful law firms globally."

President Trump added, "There are few people in the legal community as respected as Jay," and "I recommend that the U.S. Senate confirm Jay as soon as possible."

The current DNI, Tulsi Gabbard, formally resigned last month and is scheduled to step down after working until the 19th.

Following her departure, William Prentiss, the Director of the Federal Housing Finance Agency who was nominated by President Trump as Acting DNI, is expected to temporarily lead the DNI until the nominee Clayton passes the Senate confirmation process.

The DNI is the position that oversees 18 U.S. intelligence agencies.

Nominee Clayton was appointed as the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York, also known as the 'grim reaper of Wall Street,' on November 14, 2024, shortly after President Trump's election victory, and has served in that role since.

Furthermore, he served as the Chairman of the SEC from 2017 to 2020 during the first Trump administration.

He majored in engineering as an undergraduate at the University of Pennsylvania and received a bachelor's degree in economics from the University of Cambridge. He subsequently graduated from the University of Pennsylvania Law School.

The general assessment is that Nominee Clayton, being a former official in the legal and financial regulatory fields, is not easily categorized as an expert in national security or intelligence. Therefore, there is a possibility of criticism that President Trump appointed an individual whose loyalty to him has been verified, regardless of expertise.

Moreover, the U.S. Senate confirmation process may not be smooth.