Trump Delays Clayton DNI Hearing Until McDonald Confirmed as US Attorney
Cover image from washingtonexaminer.com, which was analyzed for this article
President Trump cancels Senate hearings for intel chief nominee Jay Clayton to pressure Congress on elections and FISA legislation, leaving Bill Pulte as acting director.
PoliticalOS
Wednesday, June 17, 2026 — Politics
The confirmation process for the next Director of National Intelligence is now linked to both a separate U.S. attorney nomination and the reauthorization of expired FISA surveillance authorities bundled with voting legislation. Senate action on any of these items remains stalled pending resolution of the conditions stated by the president.
What outlets missed
Several outlets omitted the full sequence in Trump’s Truth Social post explaining why the Clayton hearing timeline risked undermining the FISA bargain before Democrats voted. Few noted the precise June 19 date Pulte was slated to begin acting duties or the statutory constraints on acting officials in the intelligence community. Coverage rarely addressed McDonald’s prior role at the CFTC and Sullivan & Cromwell as context for the blue-slip demand.
President Trump announced early Wednesday that the Senate Intelligence Committee hearing on Jay Clayton’s nomination to lead the Office of the Director of National Intelligence would not proceed as scheduled. The move keeps Bill Pulte, currently director of the Federal Housing Finance Agency, in place as acting DNI.
Trump stated on Truth Social that the hearing would remain on hold until Jamie McDonald, his nominee to succeed Clayton as U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York, receives Senate confirmation. Clayton currently holds that prosecutorial post. Pulte is set to assume the acting DNI role on June 19.
The president tied the delay to stalled negotiations over reauthorizing Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, which lapsed the previous week. Trump wrote that Senate Republicans had moved too quickly on Clayton’s nomination, removing leverage to secure Democratic support for FISA renewal in exchange for sidelining Pulte. He added that FISA reauthorization would not advance without inclusion of the Save America Act, which would require proof of citizenship and photo identification for voter registration.
Pulte lacks national security or intelligence experience. Democrats and some Republicans had objected to his interim appointment, citing both his background and past public statements targeting figures viewed as political opponents by the administration. Clayton’s nomination had been positioned by supporters as a way to install a permanent DNI before Pulte’s acting authority took effect.
Trump also noted that McDonald requires a blue slip from New York’s Democratic senators before confirmation can advance. Clayton had been scheduled to appear before the committee Wednesday afternoon.
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