Trump's DNI fight turns into Senate cliffhanger
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Sen. Tom Cotton speaks during a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing on March 19 in Washington, DC. Photo: Andrew Harnik/Getty Images
Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) said that Wednesday's scheduled confirmation for President Trump's director of national intelligence nominee, Jay Clayton, is still on for now — hours after the president claimed it was canceled.
The big picture: Clayton's nomination, which GOP senators were aiming to fast-track, has been widely regarded as a way to ease tension between the White House and the upper chamber's Republicans after Trump nominated Bill Pulte as acting intelligence chief.
Driving the news: "We will proceed with his hearing as scheduled unless the president directs him not to appear or withdraws his nomination," Cotton, the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence's Republican chair, said in a Wednesday X post.
- The hearing for Clayton, who is currently the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York, remains scheduled on the committee's website for Wednesday afternoon.
Catch up quick: But early Wednesday morning, Trump posted that Clayton's hearing was canceled and would not be moving forward until his new pick for U.S. attorney, James McDonald, was approved.
- He said that in the meantime, Pulte, who emerged as a key ally for the president atop the Federal Housing Finance Agency, would serve as acting director. McDonald, who previously served as a personal attorney for Trump, could be blocked by New York's Democratic senators, another point of contention for the president.
- The White House referred Axios to Trump's Truth Social post about the hearing when asked for comment.
Zoom out: In the lengthy post, Trump aired his grievances over the lapse of a key U.S. surveillance authority, the extension of which crumbled after Trump dug in on his support for Pulte, who lacks national security experience.
- He added that "to add a slight bit of intrigue," he would not approve an extension of Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act unless it was paired with an unrelated voting bill he wants passed.
Friction point: If Clayton's advancement was a bridge for the rift between the Senate and Trump, Pulte's nomination was a wrecking ball.
- On top of criticism that he lacked experience for the job, Pulte has faced accusations from Democrats that he used his post to target the president's political enemies.
- Clayton, a former Securities and Exchange Commission chair, was recommended to Trump by CIA Director John Ratcliffe, Axios previously reported.
What they're saying: Sen. Mark Warner (D-Va.), the top Democrat on the committee, blasted the president for what he called "an extraordinary display of dysfunction."
- He added, "National security cannot be governed by social media post."
- Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) reiterated that Cotton was still planning to hold the hearing while speaking to reporters Wednesday. Asked why Trump was doing this, he said, "good question."
Go deeper: Trump ties FISA renewal to his stalled voting bill
Editor's note: This story has been updated with additional information and context throughout.
