WASHINGTON: President Donald Trump said Thursday that he plans to nominate Jay Clayton (in pic) , the US attorney for the Southern District of New York and a former Securities and Exchange Commission chairman, as director of national intelligence.
Trump announced the nomination on social media amid pressure from Congress to name a permanent replacement for Tulsi Gabbard, who resigned last month.
Trump faced intense pushback over his decision to name Bill Pulte, head of the Federal Housing Finance Agency, as acting director.
The situation has led to a standoff in Congress as Democrats said they would refuse to renew a foreign intelligence powers unless Trump pulled Pulte's nomination and named a permanent nominee.
"Few people anywhere in the Legal Community are respected at the level of Jay," Trump wrote. "I encourage the United States Senate to confirm Jay as soon as possible."
Earlier, the renewal of Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, known as FISA, did not go through as Trump's earlier choice for spy chief-Bill Pulte, director of federal housing finance-was opposed by the Democrats and some Republicans in a House vote.
The vote collapsed in bipartisan fashion, with some 20 Republicans and nearly all Democrats rejecting the temporary measure, 198-218.
Democrats said Trump and the Republicans are the ones putting national security at risk by installing Pulte to the job. Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries of New York said Pulte has "weaponized" his position in the federal government to go after Trump's critics.
