Trumps DNI pick Jay Clayton pitches finance whiz background as Senate anxious to dump Bill Pulte

Jay Clayton’s Senate confirmation hearing on Wednesday was marked by a sense of urgency, with senators from both parties racing to install a permanent spy chief — and get the acting director out.Clayton, US Attorney for the Southern District of New York, had his confirmation hearing canceled once before at President Trump’s request, allowing him to install Bill Pulte, the director of the Federal Housing Finance Agency, to be trusted with US secrets in the interim.Senators from both parties made clear they’d prefer Clayton over Pulte.Senate Intelligence Committee Vice Chairman Mark Warner stating he was “anxious to get a permanent DNI” to move past Pulte, calling him one of the least qualified people imaginable for the post given his total lack of national security background.“The DNI has literally access to all our nation’s secrets — things that are limited only to the Gang of Eight here in Congress — and I will hope that you will treat this sensitive information with the kind of respect and security it deserves,” Warner told Clayton.Clayton pitched himself as a Wall Street-honed weapon against Beijing and Moscow.

He argued the modern intelligence battlefield is no longer limited to armies, missiles and covert operations — but also includes financial warfare, supply chains, sanctions, energy markets and artificial intelligence.Clayton’s first confirmation hearing in June was delayed after Trump abruptly pulled the plug, frustrating lawmakers by keeping acting Pulte in place while demanding the Senate first confirm Clayton’s replacement as US attorney for the Southern District of New York.Now his nomination is on the glide path to the Senate floor with a likely confirmation vote before senators’ August break.While Clayton also lacks a traditional intelligence background, the former SEC chairman still leaned into his resumé as his chief qualification, pointing to his experience “leading and improving large organizations.”He also not...