Trump halts his DNI nominee's confirmation hearing to keep an acting chief
President Trump on June 17 directed Jay Clayton , his nominee to lead the office that oversees the 18 US intelligence agencies, not to attend his Senate confirmation hearing, forcing Intelligence Committee chairman Tom Cotton to postpone the session. In a Truth Social post, Trump said he would keep acting director of national intelligence Bill Pulte in the role until Congress renews Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act and passes a voter-identification measure he calls the “SAVE AMERICA Act.”
The maneuver ties an executive personnel decision to two stalled bills. Democrats had pledged not to renew the Section 702 surveillance authority while Pulte stayed on as acting director, and the voter-ID bill faces the Senate’s 60-vote threshold — so by leaving Pulte in place, Trump keeps leverage but also entrenches the standoff he says he wants to resolve. Cotton, a Republican, called the move “regrettable,” a rare public break with the White House from the committee responsible for confirming the nominee.