President Donald Trump blamed both Democrats and Republicans in the U.S. Senate as he canceled the confirmation hearings for Jay Clayton to lead the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, taking the legs out from what should have been an easy confirmation process.
Trump made the announcement on Truth Social as he is in France for the G7 summit, but it came before much of Washington woke up. The Senate Intelligence Committee was slated to begin the confirmation hearings for Clayton on Wednesday.
Specifically, the president criticized Republicans for working with Democrats to torpedo his naming Bill Pulte, the head of the Federal Housing Finance Agency, to be acting director. Many Republicans balked at the nomination given Pulte’s lack of experience in intelligence and national security while Democrats said that the announcement killed their desire to reauthorize the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, which expired last week.
“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 said.
“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,” he said. “Now, the Dumocrats are saying they will vote against FISA — So, the Republicans wound up having fulfilled their commitment, but Dumocrats broke the Deal.”
Clayton, the former chairman of the Securities and Exchange Commission, currently serves as the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York. But Trump said he did not want to give up Clayton before the Senate confirmed Jamie McDonald, Trump’s nominee to replace Clayton.
Trump called for him McDonald to be “blue-slipped,” a process where senators from the nominee’s home state sign off to approve on the nominee.
“Because of the ridiculous views of Republicans on blue slipping (Dumocrats are often willing to nix it), I may not be able to get the extraordinary Sullivan & Cromwell Partner, Jamie, approved, and I don’t want to take Jay Clayton away from the great job he is doing until Jamie is in place,” Trump said.
Trump has long called for the Senate to get rid of the blue slip process, which he complained has prevented him from picking nominees for U.S. attorneys along with judicial nominees for states represented by Democrats. New York has two Democratic senators, which would allow Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.) to have veto power over McDonald.
The president also reiterated that he would not sign the FISA reauthorization unless it also included the SAVE America Act, Republicans’ proposed legislation that would require proof of citizenship to register to vote. The announcement virtually guarantees that FISA will not be reauthorized.
“Not complicated, actually, the Republicans fell into a trap,” he said. “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 will remain as the Acting Director of National Intelligence.”
Trump’s announcement blows up what should have been an easy confirmation. Republicans signaled openness to confirming Clayton.
“I think it’s a race to make sure that Mr. Pulte does not end up serving in an acting capacity,” Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas), a member of the Senate Intelligence Committee, told The Independent.
Republicans had objected to not only Pulte’s lack of experience and qualifications, but also the fact he used his office to target former Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell and Trump’s other perceived political enemies.
