The Pentagon has quietly removed former Director of National Intelligence James Clapper's name from an auditorium at the Defense Intelligence Agency's headquarters, replacing it with that of a Revolutionary War intelligence officer. The move, confirmed by a Defense Department official, renames the space at Joint Base Anacostia-Bolling as the Thomas Knowlton Leadership Hall, after the officer who led America's first organized military intelligence unit during the Revolutionary War.
The decision comes amid Clapper's long-running feud with President Donald Trump, whom he has frequently criticized over defense and foreign policy decisions. Trump, in turn, has painted Clapper as part of a so-called deep state working against his presidency. The renaming follows a pattern of the administration removing honors for political opponents, including the removal of a portrait of former Joint Chiefs Chair Mark Milley from the Pentagon in January 2025.
Acting Pentagon Press Secretary Joel Valdez framed the change as a tribute to Knowlton, stating, “The Thomas Knowlton Leadership Hall at Defense Intelligence Agency headquarters honors a true American warrior whose legacy is inseparable from the birth of our nation’s intelligence profession.” Valdez added that Knowlton was selected by General George Washington in 1776 to form Knowlton’s Rangers, a unit tasked with reconnaissance and intelligence gathering behind enemy lines.
Clapper, who served as DNI from 2010 to 2016, has been a persistent critic of Trump's national security approach. He has also faced scrutiny over his own record, including accusations of lying to Congress during a 2013 testimony about surveillance programs targeting Americans. Clapper has denied ever lying under oath. Senator Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) pressed him on the issue during that hearing, highlighting tensions over government surveillance.
The Pentagon's decision to rename the auditorium was first reported by The Daily Caller. The DIA did not respond to requests for comment. The move mirrors other actions by Trump to remove or replace symbols associated with his adversaries, such as relocating portraits of former Presidents Barack Obama and George W. Bush from prominent spots in the White House.
The renaming also aligns with broader Pentagon efforts to reshape institutional memory. Earlier this year, the House passed a defense bill that would rename the Pentagon to the Department of War, a symbolic shift that critics argue revives outdated militarism. Meanwhile, the Pentagon has faced allegations of political manipulation in its casualty reporting, including excluding four troop deaths from official tallies and reclassifying Iran-related casualties, moves that Senator Elizabeth Warren called “cruelty.”
The Thomas Knowlton Leadership Hall now stands as a permanent fixture at DIA headquarters, according to Valdez, who expressed excitement about the change. For Clapper, the removal marks another chapter in his contentious relationship with the Trump administration, one that has seen him become a target of the president's attacks on intelligence officials.
