President Donald Trump has nominated Jay Clayton, the current US Attorney for the Southern District of New York and former SEC Chairman, as the permanent Director of National Intelligence. The announcement on June 11 came after Trump’s earlier decision to install close ally Bill Pulte as acting DNI drew sharp bipartisan pushback.
For crypto market participants, the name Jay Clayton should ring a bell. He led the SEC from 2017 to 2020, a period that shaped the early regulatory contours of the digital asset industry.
The Pulte problem
Trump named Bill Pulte as acting DNI around June 2-3, following the resignation announcement from Tulsi Gabbard, who had held the role. Pulte was scheduled to formally assume the position on June 19.
Pulte’s resume includes running the Federal Housing Finance Agency and oversight roles at Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. The DNI oversees 18 intelligence agencies, coordinates threat assessments for the president, and manages a workforce of tens of thousands of analysts and operatives.
