Pulte said in a social media post that the leadership transition would take place on Monday, following the U.S. Senate’s confirmation of Clayton’s nomination earlier this week despite opposition from Democratic lawmakers, Reuters reports.
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Clayton, who most recently served as the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York, will oversee the country’s 18 intelligence agencies.
He succeeds Tulsi Gabbard, who stepped down in June after a tenure marked by disputes with congressional Democrats. During his confirmation hearing, Clayton faced criticism from Democrats for refusing to directly acknowledge that Donald Trump lost the 2020 U.S. presidential election to Joe Biden.
Pulte, who has served as acting DNI since June while also leading the Federal Housing Finance Agency, was also criticized by Democrats over his lack of national security experience and for ordering layoffs within the intelligence community during his interim tenure.
