SKIP TO CONTENT SKIP TO SITE INDEX SECTION NAVIGATION Search SUBSCRIBE FOR €0.50/WEEK LOG IN Trump Administration LIVEUpdates 2m ago LIVEG7 Summit Just Now Vance Releases Memoir Trump at 80 Approval Rating ADVERTISEMENT SKIP ADVERTISEMENT Intelligence Officials Have Welcomed Pulte and Then Clayton The two, whom President Trump nominated as acting director and director of national intelligence, have both prepared to take over the office.

Listen · 4:49 min Share full article 60 Bill Pulte, currently the top federal housing official, at the Capitol last year. Credit... Eric Lee/The New York Times By Julian E. Barnes National intelligence reporter June 17, 2026, 11:42 a.m. ET See more of our coverage in your search results.

Add The New York Times on Google Earlier this month, Bill Pulte, the top federal housing official, visited the headquarters of the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, getting a tour, meeting officials and preparing to take over as acting director, according to U.S. officials.

But this week, the intelligence community pivoted to welcome Jay Clayton, the U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York. Mr. Clayton, who was scheduled to have a hearing before the Senate on Wednesday, received his own tour of the Virginia campus, Liberty Crossing, speaking to staff about his priorities and receiving an intelligence briefing.

The competing visits encapsulate the whiplash intelligence officials have felt this month as they have prepared for different leaders in the face of President Trump’s announcements and the strong opposition to Mr. Pulte from lawmakers on Capitol Hill. As the opposition to Mr.

Pulte grew among Senate Republicans, who criticized his lack of experience and focus on Mr. Trump’s retribution agenda, Mr. Trump nominated Mr. Clayton. Some intelligence officials thought it possible Mr. Pulte might never set foot again in Liberty Crossing. ADVERTISEMENT SKIP ADVERTISEMENT The intelligence community is now returning to Mr.

Pulte after Mr. Trump said he was delaying Mr. Clayton’s nomination. With Mr. Trump pressuring Congress to pass an unpopular voter identification law before he pushes Mr. Clayton forward, Mr. Pulte again seems set to take over on Friday, when Tulsi Gabbard, the current director of national intelligence, is set to step down.

Both Republicans and Democrats have said that Mr. Pulte is unqualified for the post. That is in part because he lacks any national security experience. But more broadly, there is bipartisan concern about Mr. Pulte’s record since he joined Mr. Trump’s second administration.

Subscribe to The Times to read as many articles as you like. Julian E. Barnes covers the U.S. intelligence agencies and international security matters for The Times. He has written about security issues for more than two decades. See more on: Walter J. Clayton, U.S.

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