Jay Clayton, who was confirmed last week to oversee U.S. spy agencies, was sworn in as the director of national intelligence on Monday, his office announced.
He was confirmed by the Senate last Tuesday, but the White House did not immediately swear in Mr. Clayton, giving Bill Pulte, a key ally of President Trump, a few more days in office as the acting director of national intelligence and prompting questions from lawmakers. Mr. Clayton’s office provided no immediate details about Monday’s ceremony.
Mr. Pulte had used his month as acting director to declassify documents about foreign election interference. He also claimed to have shrunk the size of the office, though current and former officials raised questions about exactly how many posts had been eliminated.
While Mr. Clayton said in Monday’s statement that he looked forward to leading a streamlined organization, he did not mention further cuts and did not sound as if he was interested in phasing it out. Members of Congress, in particular Senator Tom Cotton of Arkansas, who leads the Senate Intelligence Committee, have called for the office to be downsized. Mr. Trump has privately mused about its relevance, and pushed Mr. Pulte to make cuts.
“It is more important than ever for the Intelligence Community to deliver the best possible intelligence to the President, policymakers, military leaders, and Congress,” he said. “Intelligence is our first line of defense, and we must get it right.”
Mr. Clayton had been the U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York. Before his confirmation hearing, his nomination initially won support from both Democrats and Republicans.
But the confirmation hearing was dominated by a debate over Joe Biden’s 2020 election victory and whether Mr. Clayton would be willing to deliver intelligence to Mr. Trump that he doesn’t want to hear. Mr. Clayton refused to say that Mr. Biden had won the election, costing him Democratic support.
In the statement on Monday, Mr. Clayton did not lay out a full agenda for his time in office, but said he would ensure transparency and accountability in the intelligence community, known as I.C.
“This includes ensuring the vital work of our I.C. is never weaponized for political motives,” Mr. Clayton said.