Bill Pulte to hand over national intelligence reins to Jay Clayton on Monday, according to his statement

Bill Pulte, President Donald Trump’s housing-regulator appointee who has been serving as acting director of national intelligence, said he will step down Monday when Jay Clayton takes over the intelligence post, according to The Washington Times. Pulte’s statement marks the end of roughly two months in the acting role, with the handoff set for the start of the new work week.

Pulte’s tenure as acting director comes amid ongoing national security responsibilities overseen by the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, including coordination of intelligence activities across the U.S. intelligence community. As acting director, Pulte was responsible for running the DNI office while the administration pursued a permanent leadership transition.

According to the report, Monday’s transfer will be the point at which Clayton, identified as Trump’s pick for the job, will assume the duties associated with leading the national intelligence effort. The timing described by Pulte indicates the administration is using a near-term transition schedule rather than extending the acting period beyond Monday’s changeover.

The report frames the change as an administrative transition tied to personnel decisions for the intelligence leadership role. It also highlights that Pulte’s role as acting director was temporary, with Monday representing the formal end of his stewardship of the DNI function.

The intelligence leadership change carries practical implications for how executive-branch priorities are translated into intelligence oversight and internal management during a transition period. Even when the formal policy direction is set by the administration, the acting-to-confirmed shift typically affects internal staffing, the cadence of briefings, and the continuity of intelligence community coordination.

Because the available reporting centers on Pulte’s statement and does not include primary documents such as a Senate confirmation record or a DNI leadership memo, additional details about Clayton’s confirmation status, the precise start time, and any interim administrative steps were not included in the information provided for this story.

After Monday, the focus is expected to shift to how Clayton carries out the duties of director of national intelligence and how the intelligence community continues its operations during the leadership transition. Any changes to internal governance processes or the administration’s intelligence management priorities would likely become clearer in subsequent official communications.