Trump keeps acting DNI in place, abruptly halts planned Clayton confirmation
President Donald Trump is delaying Jay Clayton’s nomination to serve as director of national intelligence and says a Senate confirmation hearing scheduled for Wednesday will not move forward.
Trump announced on Truth Social that Bill Pulte will remain acting DNI for now. He blamed Democrats for backing away from what he described as a deal to support reauthorization of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, or FISA, after Republicans moved to replace Pulte.
But Trump also cited another reason for the delay: He said he does not want Clayton to leave his current job as U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York until his successor, Jamie McDonald, is confirmed.
Pulte, FISA and other holdups
Lawmakers in both parties have criticized Trump’s decision to install Pulte as acting DNI, pointing to his lack of intelligence experience and accusing him of using his role as head of the Federal Housing Finance Agency to target Trump’s perceived adversaries.
Democrats had refused to support an extension of FISA while Pulte was slated to lead the intelligence community.
Pulte is scheduled to take over as acting DNI on Friday. Senate Republicans accelerated Clayton’s confirmation process in hopes of limiting how long Pulte would remain in the position, a move Trump sharply criticized.
“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,” Trump wrote. “However, the Republicans moved so fast with the hearings of the Great Jay Clayton, current U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York, that Pulte would be gone before the Dumocrats would vote on FISA.”
Trump also said he will not support a FISA extension unless Congress passes the SAVE America Act, a Republican-backed bill that would require proof of citizenship to register to vote in federal elections.
Can Trump cancel the hearing?
Confirmation hearings are typically scheduled and controlled by the Senate committee overseeing the nomination — in this case, the Senate Intelligence Committee.
It is unclear whether Trump discussed the matter with committee chairman Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark., before announcing that the hearing would be canceled.
There is no indication yet when Clayton’s confirmation hearing will be rescheduled.
Another confirmation fight
Trump’s post also underscored his desire to keep Clayton in place as Manhattan’s top federal prosecutor until McDonald is confirmed by the Senate.
McDonald was nominated to the position Saturday.
“In the meantime, Bill Pulte will remain as the Acting Director of National Intelligence,” Trump wrote.
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Ella Rae Greene, Editor In Chief
