The Director of National Intelligence of the United States has resigned.

James Clapper, Director of the US National Intelligence Agency, announced to Congress that he would resign on January 20, 2017, the same day billionaire Donald Trump was sworn into office.

Mr. Clapper served in President Obama's administration for six years - Photo: Getty Images

According to AFP, James Clapper is the same person who, in 2013, denied that the US government collected personal communications data from millions of citizens, leading to the subsequent exposure of the large-scale surveillance program by former National Security Agency (NSA) employee Edward Snowden.

Mr. Clapper, 75, announced his decision to resign after six years in the position. The news comes amid speculation that he might remain for another term.

Clapper's departure will create yet another major void that the new administration of billionaire Donald Trump will have to fill.

Mr. Clapper's job involved coordinating the activities of 17 different organizations, including the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) and the National Security Agency (NSA). Mr. Clapper stated that he had submitted his resignation the previous evening.

Following Clapper's departure, one name widely considered a likely replacement is the former director of the Defense Intelligence Agency, retired Lieutenant General Ronald Burgess.

Clapper's tenure was linked to the NSA leak that revealed the agency was collecting large amounts of personal data from American citizens without their permission.

In March 2013, Clapper denied before Congress that the NSA collected that data from American telecommunications providers.

Months later, former NSA employee Edward Snowden released documents showing that the NSA had indeed collected this data, leading to accusations that Clapper had lied to Congress and calls for his resignation.

In a 2014 interview, Snowden admitted that Clapper's denial of the issue prompted the former NSA employee to release the classified documents that exposed the matter.

According to Tuoi Tre newspaper