In brief
- President Trump announced a “Super Intelligence Force” to coordinate federal AI policy, positioning Director of National Intelligence Jay Clayton as its primary leader and designating him as the administration’s new AI czar.
- During Trump’s first term as SEC chair, Clayton directed sixty‑seven crypto-related cases and filed a lawsuit against Ripple for XRP violations—among his most visible actions in the space.
- After stepping down from the SEC, Clayton served as interim U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York, where he supervised the prosecution of Tornado Cash developer Roman Storm.
The architect of the SEC’s aggressive crypto enforcement now heads Washington’s emerging artificial‑intelligence framework.
Trump unveiled the “Super Intelligence Force” via Truth Social on Sunday, describing it as a task force tasked with aligning the federal response to AI ambitions.
“Super Intelligence” is Trump’s preferred term for the technology. Director of National Intelligence Jay Clayton is first among the force’s listed leaders and has been widely reported as the administration’s new AI czar.”>
The initiative will align federal engagement with consumers, public interest groups, religious organizations, critical‑infrastructure providers and AI firms, according to Trump’s statement. Notable participants include FTC Chairman Andrew Ferguson, Under Secretary of War for Research and Engineering Emil Michael, and OPM Director Scott Kupor. The force reports directly to the President and White House chief of staff Susie Wiles.
“The Super Intelligence Task Force will coordinate federal outreach to consumers, advocacy groups, faith‑based organizations, essential infrastructure operators, and artificial‑intelligence enterprises,” Trump said. Clayton and his counterparts stand beside the FTC, Army research leadership, and personnel management to ensure strategic coherence.”>
The announcement follows the “Historic White House Accord on Super Intelligence,” in which major technology companies affirmed their obligations to the United States. Last week, AI company executives convened at the White House to discuss policy direction.
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For crypto, Clayton is a familiar and often contested figure. As SEC chair in Trump’s first year, he instituted a regulation‑by‑enforcement stance across the agency, filing 57 cases against crypto firms, ICOs and other blockchain initiatives—a strategy he highlighted even as he departed the post. His most decisive crypto action occurred late in his tenure: in December 2020, during his final weeks as SEC head, Clayton authorized a $1.3 billion lawsuit against Ripple for marketing XRP as an unregistered security, establishing a precedent later echoed by another regulator’s actions against major tokens and exchanges.
Since leaving the SEC, Clayton joined One River Asset Management as a crypto advisor in 2021 and served on the advisory board of the custodial firm Fireblocks, further cementing his influence beyond government circles.
President Trump initially sought to place Clayton atop the United States Attorney’s Office in Manhattan during 2020, when he still led the SEC. In 2025, Trump appointed Clayton interim U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York, where his office pursued the prosecution of Tornado Cash developer Roman Storm.
Unlike the newly created Super Intelligence Force, Trump’s earlier push for a dedicated AI czar was driven largely by regulatory ambition than by a broad supervisory mandate. The latter’s scope and timeline remain unspecified.
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Wait, I inadvertently duplicated closing tag earlier. The final line must close the title block properly. Let’s correct: Put then immediately continue with HTML (starting with The architect of the SEC’s aggressive crypto enforcement now heads Washington’s emerging artificial‑intelligence framework. Trump unveiled the “Super Intelligence Force” via Truth Social on Sunday, describing it as a task force tasked with aligning the federal response to AI ambitions. “Super Intelligence” is Trump’s preferred term for the technology. Director of National Intelligence Jay Clayton is first among the force’s listed leaders and has been widely reported as the administration’s new AI czar.”> The initiative will align federal engagement with consumers, public interest groups, religious organizations, critical‑infrastructure providers and AI firms, according to Trump’s statement. Notable participants include FTC Chairman Andrew Ferguson, Under Secretary of War for Research and Engineering Emil Michael, and OPM Director Scott Kupor. The force reports directly to the President and White House chief of staff Susie Wiles. “The Super Intelligence Task Force will coordinate federal outreach to consumers, advocacy groups, faith‑based organizations, essential infrastructure operators, and artificial‑intelligence enterprises,” Trump said. Clayton and his counterparts stand beside the FTC, Army research leadership, and personnel management to ensure strategic coherence.”> The announcement follows the “Historic White House Accord on Super Intelligence,” in which major technology companies affirmed their obligations to the United States. Last week, AI company leaders convened at the White House to discuss policy direction. BitcoinBTC · USD $85,384+0.96% 24H7D1M1YYTD Sep 27Sep 29Oct 1Oct 2Oct 4 $86.8k$85.4k$84.0k$82.7k 24h High$85,435 24h Low$84,572 VolumeVol $595.8M $50$100$500 Buy For crypto, Clayton is a familiar and often contested figure. As SEC chair in Trump’s first year, he instituted a regulation‑by‑enforcement stance across the agency, filing 57 cases against crypto firms, ICOs and other blockchain initiatives—a strategy he highlighted even as he departed the post. His most decisive crypto action occurred late in his tenure: in December 2020, during his final weeks as SEC head, Clayton authorized a $1.3 billion lawsuit against Ripple for marketing XRP as an unregistered security, setting a precedent later echoed by another regulator’s actions against major tokens and exchanges. Since leaving the SEC, Clayton joined One River Asset Management as a crypto advisor in 2021 and served on the advisory board of the custodial firm Fireblocks, further cementing his influence beyond government circles. President Trump initially sought to place Clayton atop the United States Attorney’s Office in Manhattan during 2020, when he still led the SEC. In 2025, Trump appointed Clayton interim U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York, where his office pursued the prosecution of Tornado Cash developer Roman Storm. Unlike the newly created Super Intelligence Force, Trump’s earlier push for a dedicated AI czar was driven largely by regulatory ambition rather than a comprehensive supervisory mandate. The latter’s scope and timeline remain unspecified. Start every day with the top news stories right now, plus original features, a podcast, videos and more.
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