Full story
Clayton hearing derailed
President Donald Trump delayed and then called off a Senate confirmation hearing for Jay Clayton, his nominee to lead the intelligence community, in a legislative standoff tied to surveillance and voting legislation.
“WASHINGTON -- President Donald Trump on Wednesday derailed the confirmation process of his own nominee to head the nation's intelligence agencies, an extraordinary move that upended Senate efforts to renew a crucial surveillance program and fueled fresh tensions with fellow Republicans on Capitol Hill”
Trump said, "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," and he added that "In the meantime, Bill Pulte will remain as the Acting Director of National Intelligence."
The Senate Intelligence Committee chairman Tom Cotton said the hearing would proceed "unless the president directs him not to appear or withdraws his nomination," before Cotton later said it was "unfortunately postponed."
The dispute centers on Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, which Trump linked to the SAVE America Act and which the current authority expired last week, leaving the confirmation process in limbo as lawmakers argued over renewal conditions.
Cotton, Warner clash
Cotton framed the postponement as a regrettable interruption, writing, "It's regrettable that the president has directed Jay Clayton not to appear at his confirmation hearing today," while also calling Clayton "a patriot and a highly qualified nominee."
Democrats portrayed the move as dysfunction, with Mark Warner saying, "National security cannot be governed by social media post," and warning that the situation reflected "an extraordinary display of dysfunction from a president who seems determined to turn America's national security into a political bargaining chip."
Trump argued the Senate’s push to confirm Clayton was a "rush act by the Democrats" and said Republicans "fell into a trap," while insisting he would not approve FISA without the SAVE America Act going along with it.
The delay left Bill Pulte, a mortgage regulation official and MAGA loyalist, as acting intelligence director as the Senate scrambled over whether and when Clayton’s nomination would move forward.
What’s at stake next
The standoff threatens the renewal path for Section 702, because Democrats said they would not provide votes to pass the bill unless Pulte’s temporary appointment was withdrawn, while Trump conditioned his support on passage of the SAVE America Act.
“Trump pauses spy chief confirmation in Congress President Donald Trump called off a Capitol Hill appearance by his nominee to be America's top spy chief, citing frustration with surveillance legislation stalled in Congress”
ABC7 Chicago reported that the current surveillance authority expired last week and that Trump said he would not sign the FISA renewal unless his voter ID requirement legislation could pass, while also saying he did not want to remove Clayton until Jamie McDonald was approved.
In the Senate, Republicans said they would proceed "as scheduled" unless Trump directed Clayton not to appear, but the hearing was postponed after Trump’s demand, leaving the confirmation process and spy-tool renewal entangled.
The Hill reported that Chuck Schumer said Trump was "holding our national security hostage" and warned that the oversight question was what Trump would ask Pulte to do, as the consequences of undercutting national security would fall on Trump and Republicans who go along with the delay.
