Pentagon Removes James Clapper's Name From DIA Auditorium, Renames Hall For Revolutionary-Era Spy

The Department of Defense has removed the name of former Director of National Intelligence James Clapper from an auditorium at the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) headquarters in Washington and renamed the space the Thomas Knowlton Leadership Hall, honoring an officer from the Revolutionary War often cited as a founder of American military intelligence.

Acting Pentagon Press Secretary Joel Valdez told The Hill, "The Thomas Knowlton Leadership Hall at Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) headquarters honors a true American warrior whose legacy is inseparable from the birth of our nation's intelligence profession."

The change was first reported by The Daily Caller, which quoted an unnamed senior defense official saying, "James Clapper disgraced himself and his career as an intelligence official. His name will no longer be honored at the Defense Intelligence Agency auditorium," and adding that, in the official's view, Clapper "oversaw the politicization of the intelligence community, turning what should have been an apolitical institution into a tool used against his political opponents."

Clapper has denied allegations from Republicans he politicized the investigation into Russia's election meddling in 2016 (AFP/Getty)

Supporters of the renaming framed the decision as restoring the hall’s association with an early American intelligence figure. Critics, and Clapper himself, dispute allegations that he politicized intelligence. In a 2025 opinion piece for The New York Times, Clapper called accusations that he politicized intelligence "patently false," and noted that subsequent reviews — including by the Senate, a special counsel appointed during the Trump administration, and the CIA — supported the core findings of the Russia investigation.

Clapper has also denied Republican allegations that he leaked the so-called Steele dossier to journalists in January 2017. In an interview with The Washington Post, he said he did not speak about the document with CNN's Jake Tapper until May 2017, after aspects of the dossier were already public through news reporting.

The renaming follows prior actions by President Trump targeting Clapper, including the revocation of his security clearance last year. Reports say that revocation prevented Clapper from attending a CIA K9 graduation he had sponsored in honor of his late wife. Separately, news reports say Clapper was among several high-profile critics subpoenaed last year in Florida as part of a federal probe examining alleged efforts to undermine the former president's political campaigns.

Reporting: The Daily Caller first reported the name change. The Hill quoted Pentagon comments. News organizations have sought comment from the Pentagon and the DIA; Clapper was not immediately available for comment.

This renaming highlights continuing tensions between current administration officials and former intelligence leaders over the conduct and public perception of the Russia investigation and the role of intelligence in politics.