Senate Republicans are moving quickly to vote on President Donald Trump’s pick to run the country’s intelligence agencies, underscoring the level of anxiety in Washington over a temporary lapse in the federal government’s spy powers.The Senate Intelligence Committee scheduled a confirmation hearing for Jay Clayton the same day the president announced his nomination to be the next director of national intelligence on Thursday. The hearing will take place on Wednesday, June 17, meaning Clayton, currently a U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York, could be sworn into the post later this month.His appointment is seen as the key to extending Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act after Democrats backed out of a deal for its renewal. The impasse is centered on Trump’s decision to name Bill Pulte, a top housing official with no national security experience, to the post on an interim basis, and Republicans are hoping to overcome Democrats’ opposition by getting Clayton in place.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) told reporters that the Senate will try to get Clayton confirmed “as quickly as possible,” noting he was previously approved by the Senate to chair the Securities and Exchange Commission during the first Trump administration.
