By Jacob Knutson
President Donald Trump said he would seek to delay the Senate confirmation hearing for Jay Clayton, his nominee for director of national intelligence (DNI), in yet another attempt to pressure lawmakers into passing the SAVE America Act, a massive anti-voting bill.
In a post on social media Wednesday, Trump said his decision would add “a slight bit of intrigue” for “the Good of the Nation” and push the stalled bill across the finish line. If passed, the SAVE America Act would disenfranchise millions of eligible voters.
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Trump’s decision would also help Bill Pulte, a loyalist who has helped target the president’s enemies, become the acting DNI. Trump has said he would like Pulte to use that role to investigate elections that he falsely claimed were “rigged.”
In his announcement, Trump said he would not allow Clayton, who is currently the top federal prosecutor in Manhattan, to be confirmed as the U.S. spy chief until the Senate confirms Clayton’s replacement.
“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,” Trump said.
Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.), chair of the Senate Intelligence Committee, said on social media that the committee would proceed with Clayton’s hearing “as scheduled unless the president directs him not to appear or withdraws his nomination.”
Clayton was originally set to appear before the committee Wednesday afternoon.
Democrats and Republicans this week rushed to confirm Clayton as DNI to avoid Pulte, Trump’s pick to replace outgoing DNI Tulsi Gabbard in an acting capacity, from taking office.
Trump’s decision to tap Pulte, who has no known intelligence experience, earlier this month set off a bipartisan uproar in Congress. Many lawmakers expressed concern that Pulte would politicize the intelligence community in service of the president’s personal aims.
Like Pulte, Clayton, a securities lawyer by trade, lacks intelligence experience. He also recently endorsed false conspiracy theories about California’s still-ongoing primary vote count.
Mixed into the chaos over Trump’s DNI pick is Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA), a controversial spy tool that allows the federal government to conduct warrantless surveillance on foreign targets outside the country.
Lawmakers from both parties have rushed to reauthorize the section after it lapsed last week. However, Trump is effectively using both the reauthorization and his next DNI nominee as leverage to pass the SAVE America Act.
“Therefore, to add a slight bit of intrigue but, for the Good of the Nation, and the People of our Country, I will not approve FISA without THE SAVE AMERICA ACT going along with it,” Trump said while announcing he would not allow Clayton’s nomination to go forward.
“In the meantime, Bill Pulte will remain as the Acting Director of National Intelligence. Thank you for your attention to this matter!” he added.
Pulte isn’t acting DNI just yet. Gabbard, who has used her intelligence post to probe conspiracy theories related to the 2020 election, isn’t officially leaving until June 19.
In recent days, Trump has made multiple legislative demands to force lawmakers to pass the SAVE America Act — all of which have failed or are likely to fail.
While it passed the House in February, the act has stalled in the Senate because of the 60-vote threshold required to get past the filibuster and other legislative rules in the chamber.
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