{"id":2613543,"date":"2026-06-12T08:04:00","date_gmt":"2026-06-12T12:04:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/republicans-race-to-confirm-trump-dni-pick-jay-clayton\/"},"modified":"2026-06-12T08:04:00","modified_gmt":"2026-06-12T12:04:00","slug":"republicans-race-to-confirm-trump-dni-pick-jay-clayton","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/republicans-race-to-confirm-trump-dni-pick-jay-clayton\/","title":{"rendered":"Republicans race to confirm Trump DNI pick Jay Clayton"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">18<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Frepublicans-race-to-confirm-trump-dni-pick-jay-clayton%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2613543&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<article class=\"fn-body\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/senate\/\" type=\"post_tag\" id=\"8765\">Senate<\/a> Republicans are moving quickly to vote on President <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/donald-trump\/\" type=\"post_tag\" id=\"4\">Donald Trump<\/a>\u2019s pick to run the country\u2019s <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/odni\/\" type=\"post_tag\" id=\"2952\">intelligence<\/a> agencies, underscoring the level of anxiety in Washington over a temporary lapse in the federal government\u2019s spy powers.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Senate Intelligence Committee scheduled a confirmation hearing for Jay Clayton the same day the president <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/white-house\/4605230\/trump-names-jay-clayton-intelligence-chief-fisa\/\">announced his nomination<\/a> 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.<\/p>\n<section class=\"explore-more-section\" id=\"wex-recommended-widget\">\n<div class=\"magazine-container single\">\n<h1 class=\"magazine-title mt-2\">Recommended Stories<\/h1>\n<p>             <i class=\"fa-solid fa-play icon\"><\/i>         <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-grid\">\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/senate\/4605549\/bill-cassidy-final-seersucker-day-bipartisan-tradition\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>Bill Cassidy goes out in style<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/senate\/4605451\/bill-cassidy-trump-dni-pick-jay-clayton\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>Bill Cassidy clarifies stance on Trump DNI pick Jay Clayton<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/senate\/4605451\/bill-cassidy-trump-dni-pick-jay-clayton-poor-choice\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>Bill Cassidy calls Trump DNI pick Jay Clayton a \u2018very poor choice\u2019<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">His appointment is seen as the key to extending Section 702 of the <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/fisa\/\">Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act<\/a> after Democrats backed out of a deal for its renewal. The impasse is centered on Trump\u2019s 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\u2019 opposition by getting Clayton in place. <\/p>\n<div class=\"wex-ad-wrap\" style=\"min-height:5px;\"><span class=\"wex-ad-label\" style=\"display:none;\">Advertisement<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-3182201-15\" data-wex-ad=\"art-dsk-inart-1\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-paywall\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) told reporters that the Senate will try to get Clayton confirmed \u201cas quickly as possible,\u201d noting he was previously approved by the Senate to chair the Securities and Exchange Commission during the first Trump administration.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Still, Thune acknowledged Clayton\u2019s confirmation by the Senate is unlikely to happen before June 19, which is when Pulte replaces the outgoing director, Tulsi Gabbard.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cI don\u2019t know what \u2018realistic\u2019 is, but we\u2019re gonna probe the limits of it,\u201d Thune said.\u00a0<\/p>\n<div class=\"wex-ad-wrap\" style=\"min-height:5px;\"><span class=\"wex-ad-label\" style=\"display:none;\">Advertisement<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-3182201-16\" data-wex-ad=\"art-dsk-inart-2\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Democrats appear receptive to Clayton\u2019s nomination, with Sen. Mark Warner (D-VA), the ranking member of the Senate Intelligence Committee, saying he believes Clayton is a \u201ccapable public servant.\u201d Rep. Jim Himes (D-CT), his Democratic counterpart on the House Intelligence Committee, similarly <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/jahimes\/status\/2065145127048225000?s=20\">voiced confidence<\/a> in Clayton on Thursday.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Trump\u2019s announcement nonetheless came too late to avert an expiration of Section 702, which allows for the surveillance of foreign nationals abroad without a warrant, on Friday at midnight. A three-week patch to keep the program from going \u201cdark\u201d <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/house\/4604346\/house-votes-down-fisa-extension\/\">failed in the House on Thursday morning<\/a> and then was blocked by Democrats in the Senate later the same day.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Now, House lawmakers are gone for a one-week recess, and Democrats are still objecting to a renewal in the Senate since the interim appointment for Pulte has not been withdrawn.<\/p>\n<div class=\"wex-ad-wrap\" style=\"min-height:5px;\"><span class=\"wex-ad-label\" style=\"display:none;\">Advertisement<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-3182201-17\" data-wex-ad=\"art-dsk-inart-3\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cPulte has got to go,\u201d Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) told reporters as the Senate headed out of town Thursday. \u201cThe DNI role is too important. He cannot be there, no ands, ifs, or buts. No matter what else they do.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Warner said in a statement that the \u201ctiming\u201d of the announcement raised an obvious question: \u201cIf the president intended to nominate Mr. Clayton, why spend the last ten days insisting that the Intelligence Community be led by an acting director who lacks the extensive national security experience required by statute and whose appointment raises serious concerns about the politicization of intelligence?\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Warner continued, \u201cThe president could have put forward a qualified nominee from the beginning. Instead, he waited until the House of Representatives went out of town, choosing a path that raises the risk of an entirely avoidable lapse in a critical national security tool.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Republicans, in turn, accused Democrats of using the surveillance program as a \u201cpolitical hostage\u201d and pointed the finger at Senate Democrats for the upper chamber\u2019s inability to pass a three-year deal.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Earlier on Thursday, when asked if he would consider bringing the House back for another renewal vote, Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) posed, \u201cWhat would be the point?\u201d He referred to a similar three-year extension the House passed back in April that has stalled out in the Senate and Democrats\u2019 opposition to the shorter patch on Thursday.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cWhat would be the point of me going through this exercise over and over?\u201d the speaker asked. \u201cThe House has done every single thing.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/white-house\/4605230\/trump-names-jay-clayton-intelligence-chief-fisa\/\"><strong>TRUMP NAMES JAY CLAYTON AS NEXT INTELLIGENCE CHIEF AMID FISA GRIDLOCK<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<p>A smaller group of Republicans has opposed an extension as well, with 19 House Republicans voting against the three-week patch over concerns related to privacy and warrant requirements.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Rep. Randy Fine (R-FL), one of the Republicans to vote against the short-term extension, told the <em>Washington Examiner<\/em> that it was \u201chighly irresponsible for the Democrats to vote this down because they don\u2019t like an interim presidential appointment.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Senate Republicans are moving quickly to vote on President Donald Trump\u2019s pick to run the country\u2019s intelligence agencies, underscoring the level of anxiety in Washington over a temporary lapse in the federal government\u2019s spy powers. The Senate Intelligence Committee scheduled a confirmation hearing for Jay Clayton the same day the president announced his nomination to<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4027,"featured_media":2613544,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/803c039ac183a9a329b0e18aba452ef9-e1781228699997.jpg?w=696","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[538],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2613543","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-washington-examiner"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/803c039ac183a9a329b0e18aba452ef9-e1781228699997.jpg?w=696","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2613543","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4027"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2613543"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2613543\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2613544"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2613543"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2613543"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2613543"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}