Senate Intelligence Committee Chairman Tom Cotton announced Wednesday that the confirmation hearing for Jay Clayton as Director of National Intelligence has been postponed following a late-night directive from President Trump.
Trump, currently attending the G7 Summit in France, posted his demands on Truth Social just before 4 a.m. Eastern time, catching Washington off guard less than 12 hours before Clayton was due to appear before the committee.
The president linked the delay to two separate demands, insisting that the Senate first confirm Jamie McDonald as a U.S. Attorney and pass the SAVE America Act before Clayton’s confirmation proceeds.
The SAVE America Act is a Republican voting bill that would require citizens to present documentary proof of U.S. citizenship, such as a passport or birth certificate, when registering to vote, and it failed in the Senate earlier this month.
Trump also announced he would block reauthorization of FISA Section 702, a surveillance tool central to U.S. intelligence gathering, using it as additional leverage to pressure the Senate into meeting his conditions.
Sen. Cotton, R-Ark., had previously stated the committee would move ahead with the hearing “unless the president directs him not to appear or withdraws his nomination,” before ultimately bowing to Trump’s wishes.
“It’s regrettable that the president has directed Jay Clayton not to appear at his confirmation hearing today,” Cotton wrote, adding, “Mr. Clayton is a patriot and a highly qualified nominee, as the president has said repeatedly.”
Trump’s post concluded with a blunt declaration: “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.”
In the meantime, Bill Pulte, Trump’s controversial interim pick, will remain as Acting Director of National Intelligence, a position he assumed earlier this month despite having no background in national intelligence.
Pulte, who currently serves as director of the Federal Housing Finance Agency, has drawn criticism from both Democrats and some Republicans for his use of social media to target the president’s perceived political enemies.
He has broadcast accusations of mortgage fraud against several figures, including Fed official Lisa Cook, New York Democratic Attorney General Letitia James, and Sen. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., each of whom has denied any wrongdoing.
Trump told the Wall Street Journal he hopes Pulte will declassify documents related to the 2020 election and move to downsize the intelligence agency during his time in the role.
The controversy surrounding Pulte contributed to the expiration on Friday of a nearly two-decade-old spy law that underpins a significant portion of U.S. intelligence collection operations.
Clayton currently leads the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York, where he has overseen high-profile cases including the indictment and arrest of former Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro.
He was previously confirmed by the Senate to chair the Securities and Exchange Commission during Trump’s first term, and his DNI nomination had appeared on track to earn bipartisan support before Wednesday’s reversal.
Senators had hoped to confirm Clayton by June 19, the date Trump had indicated Pulte would formally step into the acting role, and Clayton’s hearing date was set within hours of his original nomination.
If confirmed, Clayton would succeed Tulsi Gabbard, who announced her resignation last month citing her husband’s cancer diagnosis after a tenure marked by significant controversy over her lack of intelligence experience and past remarks supportive of autocratic leaders.
The sudden intervention has exposed a notable and public rift between the Republican-controlled Senate and a president of the same party, raising fresh questions about the stability of U.S. intelligence leadership.
