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Trump says he plans to retain controversial DNI director Bill Pulte as he calls for a review of voter ID laws.
United States President Donald Trump has delayed confirming his nominee for director of National Intelligence (DNI), while he is asking lawmakers to pass laws on surveillance and voter identification.
Trump made the announcement Wednesday in a Social Truth post, saying he wants to continue acting as DNI Bill Pulte and suspend the confirmation of his nominee, Jay Clayton.
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Clayton was scheduled to appear in a Senate hearing Wednesday afternoon before Trump forced a delay by telling him not to appear.
The president also said he wanted to push Democrats to pass the impeachment inquiry and voter registration process, and that he would not remove Clayton from his position as attorney general until he was confirmed.
“For the time being, Bill Pulte will remain as Director of National Intelligence,” Trump said.
The US president’s nomination last week of Clayton was a welcome relief to many lawmakers, including prominent Republicans, who complained about Pulte and his lack of experience.
A Trump loyalist and House staffer, Pulte had never had a background in intelligence or the military. The DNI oversees Washington’s 18th intelligence agency.
Clayton, by contrast, currently serves in what is considered one of the Justice Department’s most senior positions: He works as a US attorney for the southern district of New York in Manhattan.
The DNI job emerged after Tulsi Gabbard announced her resignation in May, citing her husband’s cancer treatment.
FISA is a voter ID card
Clayton’s confirmation must be acted upon quickly to win the support of Democrats in passing the controversial Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, which is being revised.
Section 702 of the Act allows spy agencies to collect the communications of foreign nationals without a warrant. Human rights activists have criticized the tool, saying it exposes US citizens to the government’s indirect collection of their data.
Democrats have vowed not to renew the provision if Pulte remains in office.
In his speech, Trump confirmed that Clayton could be confirmed before the vote on FISA, giving Democrats an opportunity to change their position.
Trump added another factor, saying he would not approve FISA without lawmakers re-imposing a law requiring voter IDs in US elections. The legislation has been a priority for Trump ahead of the November mid-term elections, but has failed to win 60 votes in the Senate.
“So, to add a little bit of treason but, for the Good of the Nation, and the People of our Country, I will not approve FISA without THE SAVE AMERICA ACT to go with it,” Trump said in his Truth Social article.
Despite that, Republican Senator Tom Cotton, chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, initially said he would continue to hear Clayton’s confirmation on Wednesday unless Trump withdraws his nomination or orders him not to appear.
Trump eventually told Clayton to stop listening. This led to Cotton delaying the trial. Later, the senator issued a statement of regret for what happened.
“It is unfortunate that the president has ordered Jay Clayton not to appear at his confirmation hearing today,” Cotton said in a statement.
“Mr. Clayton is a patriot and worthy of the nomination, as the president has repeatedly stated. Although today is unfortunately postponed, I hope to proceed with his confirmation soon.”
Meanwhile, Democrats have described this as chaos.
“Over and over again, the president has brought more uncertainty into a process that should focus on one thing: protecting the American people,” Senator Mark Warner said in a statement.
“The president’s recent intervention only confirms a simple fact: the biggest obstacle to resolving these issues has not been Senate Democrats or Senate Republicans. It has been chaos and confusion from the White House itself.”
