Trump names Jay Clayton to serve as director of national intelligence

Jay Clayton appears at the Treasury Department on October 16, 2018. President Trump has named the former head of the Securities and Exchange Commission as his pick to serve as Director of National Intelligence. Alex Wong/Getty Images hide caption

President Trump on Thursday named Jay Clayton, a federal prosecutor and former head of the Securities and Exchange Commission, to serve as director of national intelligence.

"Few people anywhere in the Legal Community are respected at the level of Jay," the president wrote in a post on Truth Social announcing the nomination. "I encourage the United States Senate to confirm Jay as soon as possible. Thank you for your attention to this matter!"

Clayton's selection follows Trump's decision to nominate Bill Pulte, a close ally and political attack dog, to serve as acting director of national intelligence. The appointment sparked a political backlash that doomed efforts in Congress to renew a crucial intelligence tool before it expires on Friday.

The appointment last week of Pulte, the 38-year-old director of the Federal Housing Finance Agency, roiled congressional negotiations around section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act , one of the nation's most important surveillance tools.

Pulte was appointed despite any experience in national security, and his selection drew concerns from Democrats about the risk of sensitive intelligence being weaponized against the president's perceived political rivals.

Still, Clayton's nomination will not be enough to keep the FISA 702 program from expiring Friday. On Thursday, the House failed in its effort to pass a three-week extension of the program and left Washington for a scheduled recess.