U.S. Senate Confirms Jay Clayton as National Intelligence Director

The U.S. Senate confirmed Walter "Jay" Clayton III as director of national intelligence in a 51-47 party-line vote Tuesday night. Clayton will coordinate the United States’ 18 intelligence agencies, succeeding acting director Bill Pulte after Tulsi Gabbard stepped down in June. Clayton previously chaired the Securities and Exchange Commission and serves as U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York. His confirmation comes as Congress remains divided over renewing Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, a key authority for collecting intelligence on foreign targets.