WASHINGTON — The U.S. Senate Select Committee on Intelligence faced delays Wednesday in considering President Donald Trump's nomination of Jay Clayton to serve as the nation's top intelligence official, as the president sought to leverage the process to advance a stalled voter identification bill.
Trump announced late Tuesday or early Wednesday that he was delaying Clayton's confirmation proceedings, hours before the nominee's scheduled hearing before the committee. The president said he would keep Bill Pulte, a housing official with no known intelligence background, as acting director of national intelligence.
The move came amid broader tensions over efforts to reauthorize Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, a key surveillance authority that lapsed recently, and disputes involving other Trump nominees. Senate Intelligence Committee Chairman Tom Cotton, a Republican from Arkansas, indicated the panel would proceed with the hearing despite the president's statement.
Clayton, the U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York and a former chairman of the Securities and Exchange Commission, was nominated by Trump earlier in June after bipartisan opposition to Pulte forced a change. Trump had praised Clayton as highly respected in the legal community and urged swift Senate confirmation.
Details of the current status of Clayton's nomination remained unclear Wednesday. Committee officials had not immediately confirmed whether the hearing took place as planned or if the nominee appeared.
The episode highlights ongoing friction between the White House and Senate Republicans over legislative priorities. Trump has pushed for the SAVE Act or similar measures requiring proof of citizenship and photo identification for voting, which passed the House but lacks sufficient support in the Senate to overcome procedural hurdles. Democrats have opposed linking such provisions to must-pass intelligence matters.
"Trump said in a social media post just hours before Clayton's scheduled confirmation hearing that he will keep Bill Pulte... as acting director of national intelligence," the Associated Press reported, citing the president's comments from France.
Lawmakers from both parties had previously expressed reservations about Pulte's interim role, citing his lack of intelligence experience. His selection followed the resignation of Tulsi Gabbard from the position.
The Senate committee had scheduled an open hearing on Clayton's nomination for Wednesday morning. As of late Wednesday, no official updates on the outcome or next steps had been released by the committee or the White House.
The delay adds another layer of uncertainty to leadership of the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, which oversees 18 U.S. intelligence agencies. Confirmation typically requires committee approval followed by a full Senate vote.
Negotiations over the intelligence reauthorization and related nominations are expected to continue in the coming days.
