Bill Pulte, President Trump's chosen acting director of national intelligence, will officially hand over leadership to Jay Clayton on Monday. Pulte's two-month tenure concludes as Clayton, Trump's nominee, was confirmed by the Senate this week.

Pulte's appointment by Trump as an interim director after former director Tulsi Gabbard resigned drew criticism from Republican lawmakers concerned about his lack of national security experience. Clayton, formerly the U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York and ex-Securities and Exchange Commission chairman, faced a contentious confirmation process, including his refusal to definitively state Joe Biden won the 2020 election.

During Pulte's brief period, Trump focused on his unsubstantiated claims about the 2020 election. Pulte also released intelligence documents from 2020 concerning China's election interference capabilities and election system vulnerabilities, part of the administration's broader effort to question election integrity. The White House has not yet announced Clayton's official swearing-in details.