The Senate Intelligence Committee set a new confirmation hearing for Jay Clayton on July 15, nearly a month after President Donald Trump forced the panel to cancel the previous date just hours before it was scheduled to begin.
Clayton, Trump's nominee for director of national intelligence and the current U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York, had initially been slated for a hearing on June 17. Trump intervened to block that proceeding, insisting that the Senate first confirm his pick to replace Clayton in New York: James McDonald, a partner at Sullivan & Cromwell and former federal prosecutor.
At the time of the cancellation, Trump complained that Senate Republicans were moving "so fast with the hearings of the Great Jay Clayton," citing his frustration over expired provisions of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act and a voter ID measure he backs that lacks the votes to pass. The White House has not yet formally submitted McDonald's nomination to the Senate.
Clayton comes with credentials that have drawn bipartisan backing. He served as chair of the Securities and Exchange Commission during Trump's first term after winning Senate confirmation 61-37. Democratic leaders including Sen. Mark Warner of Virginia, the ranking member on the Intelligence Committee, have spoken favorably of his nomination. Rep. Jim Himes, the top Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee, said Clayton's "intelligence, temperament and deep commitment to public service will make him a terrific DNI."
The delay underscores deeper partisan tensions over the national intelligence directorate's leadership. In June, Trump named Bill Pulte as acting national intelligence director, replacing Tulsi Gabbard, who announced she was stepping down because of her husband's cancer diagnosis. Pulte took over on June 19.
Democrats and some Republicans have challenged the appointment, pointing to Pulte's lack of national security experience and his role at the Federal Housing Finance Agency compiling information for administration investigations of Trump's perceived political opponents. Several Democrats have explicitly tied their support for reauthorizing the expired FISA provision to Clayton taking over as DNI, effectively removing Pulte from the post.
A federal judge appointed Clayton as U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York last year after his Senate nomination stalled earlier. He had also held partnership at Sullivan & Cromwell before his government service.
Author Sarah Mitchell: "Trump's willingness to weaponize the confirmation process to settle personnel scores in his own government shows how deeply his control shapes the Senate's agenda."
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