In a game of musical chairs, Trump picked Clayton, who headed the Securities and Exchange Commission during the president’s first term in office, as his director of national intelligence (DNI).
Clayton has served as US attorney for the Southern District of New York – one of the most powerful prosecutorial positions in the country – since the spring of 2025.
Trump is determined that he be replaced by Jamie McDonald, a lawyer who handled one of his legal cases and must also be approved by the Senate.
“I may not be able to get the extraordinary … Jamie approved, and I don’t want to take Jay Clayton away from the great job he is doing until Jamie is in place,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.
“We are cancelling the Senate Hearing RE: DNI today, and will not be going forward until Jamie McDonald is approved to be US Attorney,” he said.
