President Donald Trump on Thursday announced that he is nominating Jay Clayton, the U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York and former chairman of the Securities and Exchange Commission, to serve as the next director of national intelligence.

"I am pleased to announce the Nomination of very Highly Respected Jay Clayton, former Chairman of the Securities and Exchange Commission, the former Head of Sullivan & Cromwell, one of the most prominent and successful Law Firms anywhere in the World, and the current United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, to be the next Director of National Intelligence and, importantly, to serve in my Cabinet," Trump wrote in a Truth Social post Thursday afternoon.

"Few people anywhere in the Legal Community are respected at the level of Jay," he added. "I encourage the United States Senate to confirm Jay as soon as possible."

Clayton, who currently serves as Manhattan's top federal prosecutor, would require Senate confirmation to lead the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, which oversees the U.S. intelligence community, including the Central Intelligence Agency and the National Security Agency.

He previously served as SEC chairman during Trump’s first administration and was a partner at the law firm Sullivan & Cromwell before that. He was sworn in as U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York earlier this year.

The nomination comes after controversy surrounding Trump's decision to appoint Federal Housing Finance Agency Director Bill Pulte as acting director of national intelligence.

Trump announced Wednesday that Pulte would assume the role June 19, replacing outgoing DNI Tulsi Gabbard while the administration searched for a permanent nominee.

Trump had faced pressure to reconsider the appointment of Pulte, whose selection drew opposition on Capitol Hill and complicated efforts to reauthorize Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, a key surveillance authority used by U.S. intelligence agencies, reports CNBC. 

Hours before Trump announced Clayton's nomination, the House rejected a proposal to extend Section 702 for three weeks beyond its scheduled expiration at midnight Friday. Democrats opposed the extension in part because of concerns over Pulte's appointment, contributing to the measure's defeat.

While Clayton's nomination appeared aimed at addressing congressional concerns about leadership at the intelligence agency, it was not immediately clear whether the move would resolve the impasse over reauthorizing the surveillance program.