Published Jun 17, 2026, 12:26 PM EDT

A hearing for intended new DNI Jay Clayton was urged at the president's discretion to halt as he urges Republicans to pass sweeping legislation.

President Donald Trump on Wednesday called to delay hearings on Capitol Hill for Jay Clayton, his pick to become the United States' next director of national intelligence (DNI), due to Republicans' failure to shore up legislation combining surveillance laws and election security. Clayton, currently a U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York and ex-chair of the Securities and Exchange Commission, was tasked by the president last week to lead the agency long term and oversee 18 national intel agencies. Trump's selection came somewhat as a surprise after he initially expressed strong support for 38-year-old Bill Pulte, current director of the Federal Housing Finance Agency and chair of Fannie Mae/Freddie Mac, to take over for outgoing DNI Tulsi Gabbard. Trump has been critical of Democrats on Capitol Hill who have pointed to the Pulte pick as impetus to not immediately renew Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA), which last Thursday was not extended in both the House and Senate. The House, in a 198-218 vote, failed to pass a three-week extension of the spy program when it required a two-thirds majority. Three efforts to unanimously pass extensions in the Senate also failed. Trump, who in the past criticized FISA, wants it included in overarching legislation known as the SAVE Act (Safeguard American Voter Eligibility Act) that in part would require U.S. citizenship proof in order to register to vote. It is viewed by Republicans as a major federal election overhaul. "The Republicans agreed with Dumocrats to remove very fair, and talented, William Pulte, from serving as Acting DNI in return for getting FISA approved by the Dumocrats," Trump wrote Wednesday on Truth Social. "However, the Republicans moved so fast with the hearings of the Great Jay Clayton, current U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York, that Pulte would be gone before the Dumocrats would vote on FISA. "Now, the Dumocrats are saying they will vote against FISA — So, the Republicans wound up having fulfilled their commitment, but Dumocrats broke the Deal."