Trump blocks Senate hearing for intelligence nominee Jay Clayton, keeps loyalist Pulte as acting chief in push for voting bill
President Donald Trump abruptly cancelled the Senate hearing for Jay Clayton to become the next US intelligence chief, keeping controversial ally Bill Pulte in the acting role while demanding Congress pass a voter ID measure and confirm a replacement prosecutor first.
Cancellation of the hearing
President Trump declared early Wednesday morning that he was delaying the nomination of Jay Clayton to be director of national intelligence. In a Truth Social post just before 4 a.m. Eastern Time, while attending the G7 summit in France, he said the Senate hearing scheduled for that day was cancelled. The president stated the nomination would not go forward until James McDonald is confirmed as the next U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York, the post Clayton currently holds. In the meantime, Bill Pulte will remain as acting DNI.
Regarding the approval of our Great Patriot, Jay Clayton, we are cancelling the Senate Hearing RE: DNI today, and will not be going forward until Jamie McDonald is approved to be U.S. Attorney.
The Pulte controversy and FISA impasse
Trump had originally installed Pulte, the director of the Federal Housing Finance Agency, as acting intelligence chief after Tulsi Gabbard resigned from the post late last month. Lawmakers from both parties criticised Pulte's lack of intelligence experience, with Democrats saying his appointment had killed their willingness to reauthorise Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, which expired last week. Some Republicans also expressed concern that Pulte could weaponise intelligence against Trump's political opponents.
The Republicans agreed with Dumocrats to remove very fair, and talented, William Pulte, from serving as Acting DNI in return for getting FISA approved by the Dumocrats.
Fast-tracked nomination for Clayton
To break the deadlock, Trump last week put forward Clayton, a former SEC chairman now serving as the top federal prosecutor in Manhattan. Clayton is respected across the aisle, and Republicans hoped for a rapid confirmation that would allow renewal of the surveillance powers. Senate Majority Leader John Thune called Clayton "eminently qualified" and said Democrats should waive procedural rules so a vote could happen this week.
It needs to be fixed quickly, and I hope that the Democrats will work with us in order to make that happen.
Trump's new demands
Trump claimed Republicans had moved too fast on the Clayton hearing, meaning Pulte would be gone before Democrats voted on FISA. He argued Democrats then said they would vote against the surveillance law, and declared he would not reauthorise FISA unless his Save America Act, a separate voting bill requiring proof of citizenship to cast a ballot, is passed alongside it. The Save America Act has previously failed to advance in the Senate, and Thune has warned that attaching it to intelligence legislation would doom any chance of passage.
Therefore, to add a slight bit of intrigue but, for the Good of the Nation, and the People of our Country, I will not approve FISA without THE SAVE AMERICA ACT going along with it.
Political reactions
Democrats said they would withhold judgement on Clayton until a full vetting takes place. Senator Ron Wyden stressed the need for "a thorough examination of all of the issues." Senate Intelligence Committee Chair Tom Cotton has not yet officially informed members the hearing is cancelled, but senators expect Clayton will not appear. Trump's move keeps Pulte in the acting role for at least several weeks, prolonging a standoff over both intelligence leadership and the surveillance tools that U.S. agencies rely on.
