The Senate confirms Jay Clayton as Trump's new intelligence chief

The U.S. Senate confirmed Jay Clayton as the new director of National Intelligence on Tuesday, giving President Donald Trump another close ally at the helm of the country's intelligence agencies. The nomination was approved by a 51-47 vote, with unanimous support from Republicans, while all Democratic senators voted against his confirmation.

Clayton currently serves as a federal prosecutor for the Southern District of New York and will replace Bill Pulte, a longtime Trump ally who had been serving in the role on an interim basis since June. Trump's former Director of National Intelligence, Tulsi Gabbard, resigned earlier this year, leaving the position vacant, which Clayton will now fill. 

Before becoming Manhattan's top federal prosecutor, Clayton chaired the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) during Trump's first administration, overseeing the agency that regulates the country's financial markets. His confirmation comes shortly after a procedural vote that followed his narrow 9-8 approval by the Senate Intelligence Committee, where he advanced with the support of Republican lawmakers.

On Monday, Senate Majority Leader John Thune urged Democrats to support Clayton's nomination, though he acknowledged that they would likely oppose it, as they have done with many of Trump's other nominees. "One might think we'd see some bipartisanship from the Democrats on this nominee. But the Democrats are playing the same partisan games with this qualified nominee that they have played with so many of President Trump's nominees," Thune said, who also criticized Democrats for opposing the administration's interim leadership at the Office of the Director of National Intelligence.