{"id":2615371,"date":"2026-06-17T18:55:01","date_gmt":"2026-06-17T22:55:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/trump-sends-senate-gop-reeling-with-clayton-chaos\/"},"modified":"2026-06-17T18:57:01","modified_gmt":"2026-06-17T22:57:01","slug":"trump-sends-senate-gop-reeling-with-clayton-chaos","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/trump-sends-senate-gop-reeling-with-clayton-chaos\/","title":{"rendered":"Trump sends Senate GOP reeling with Clayton chaos"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"float:left\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">16<\/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%2Ftrump-sends-senate-gop-reeling-with-clayton-chaos%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=2615371&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>President Donald Trump has caused chaos in the Senate by abruptly canceling the confirmation hearing for Jay Clayton, intended too be the next director of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/fncs-carlson-if-youre-looking-for-election-rigging-look-no-further-than-media-treatment-of-hunter-biden-saga\/\" title=\"FNC&#039;s Carlson: &#039;If You&#039;re Looking for Election Rigging, Look No Further&#039; Than Media Treatment of Hunter Biden Saga\">national intelligence<\/a>. His decision has frustrated Republicans, who hoped Clayton could help resolve issues like the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/trump-canceling-jay-clayton-hearing\/\" title=\"Trump \u2018canceling... ... ...\">expired foreign spy program<\/a>. The move is seen as another instance of unnecessary disruption amid ongoing partisan disagreements, including debates over FISA reauthorization and othre legislative priorities.Senate leaders like John Thune have expressed uncertainty about the next steps and criticized the White House\u2019s handling of appointments and nominations, which they say undermine Senate cooperation. The tension has strained relationships within the GOP, with some senators criticizing pro-Trump figures like Sen. Mike Lee for misleading efforts to pass certain legislation. Despite the setbacks, Republicans and the White House maintain Clayton\u2019s nomination is onyl postponed. The situation highlights the <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\" >ongoing legislative gridlock ahead<\/a> of the midterm elections, reflecting broader frustrations within Congress over leadership and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/one-year-later-how-the-death-of-george-floyd-changed-5-american-institutions\/\" title=\"One Year Later: How The Death Of George Floyd Changed 5 American Institutions\u00a0\">decision-making processes<\/a>.  <\/p>\n<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\">President Donald Trump has left the Senate in a state of \u201cdysfunction\u201d and Republicans scrambling over how to recover after he abruptly <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/senate\/4612317\/senate-jay-clayton-confirmation-hearing-trump-cancel\/\">upended the confirmation<\/a> of a high-profile Cabinet nominee.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Trump\u2019s Wednesday decision to <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/senate\/4611566\/trump-jay-clayton-hearing-fisa-canceling\/\">call off Jay Clayton\u2019s hearing<\/a> to be the next director of national intelligence evoked a fresh wave of frustration from Republicans, who hoped the nominee could break the gridlock on an <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/fisa\/\">expired foreign spy program<\/a> and saw his announcement, which came in the middle of the night and hours before the testimony, as another example of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/texas-national-guard-member-separated-from-position-after-discharging-weapon-on-mexican-man-across-border-in-mexico-mexican-authorities-say\/\" title=\"Texas National Guard member fired after shooting Mexican man across border, say Mexican authorities.\">unnecessary chaos<\/a>.<\/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\/4613474\/trump-sends-senate-gop-reeling-john-thune-intel-chief-chaos\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>Trump sends Senate GOP reeling with intelligence chief chaos<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/senate\/4613281\/bill-cassidy-trump-deal-iran-worst-foreign-policy-blunder\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>Cassidy calls Trump\u2019s deal with Iran \u2018worst foreign policy blunder in decades\u2019<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/senate\/4612609\/ted-cruz-maria-cantwell-triple-noaa-hurricane-hunter-fleet\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>Senators push to triple NOAA\u2019s Hurricane Hunter fleet<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cIt\u2019s just another kink in the slinky that makes no sense,\u201d said Sen. Thom Tillis (R-NC), who is not seeking reelection in November. \u201cIt\u2019s undermining our ability to produce the very results he wants.\u201d<\/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) cut short his usual morning remarks to reporters to offer a vague assessment on what\u2019s next for Clayton and overcoming the partisan stalemate to reauthorize Section 702 of the <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/fisa\/\">Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cWe\u2019ll just have to take it a day at a time until we get more clarity on kind of what the White House position is on this,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The saga was but the latest in a string of what Republicans describe as unforced errors by the White House in recent weeks. Those include requesting security money for Trump\u2019s yet-to-be-built ballroom that was later scrapped, a nixed Department of Justice anti-weaponization fund that could have paid Capitol rioters, and, most recently, appointing Bill Pulte,\u00a0a top housing official viewed as too loyal to Trump, to take over as temporary head of the U.S. intelligence community.<\/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\">\u201cWe are not the manufacturing department of the Article II branch. We are the board of directors for the Article II branch,\u201d Tillis said. \u201cYou start treating us like that, coordinating with us like that, we won\u2019t have these embarrassing setbacks and we can get back to the good work the president wants to accomplish.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The episodes have damaged the relationship between Trump and Thune, despite the GOP-controlled Congress overcoming intraparty squabbles this month to pass a $70 billion package for the president\u2019s immigration enforcement agenda. On the eve of halting Clayton\u2019s confirmation process, Thune characterized his relationship with Trump as \u201cfine\u201d before elaborating on how he\u2019s relayed to the president the complexities of a chamber with arcane rules and a 60-vote filibuster that forces bipartisanship.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cIt isn\u2019t every circumstance where the answer is \u2018yes\u2019 \u2014 sometimes you just have to understand, and I\u2019ve expressed this a number of times, and usually it\u2019s a function of the math. Either you have the votes, or you don\u2019t,\u201d Thune said Tuesday. \u201cThat\u2019s the reality that I have to deal with, and I know it\u2019s frustrating not only to him, but to many others who watch the Senate in action and wish that it could be faster and more efficient.\u201d<\/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\">The president\u2019s gripe with Clayton, the current U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York, was that he expected Democrats to oppose his replacement, Jamie McDonald, and wanted McDonald confirmed first.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Trump demanded in his Truth Social post, \u201ccanceling\u201d Clayton\u2019s confirmation hearing, that any FISA reauthorization bill include the SAVE America Act. The GOP election voting ID proposal has become a proxy fight over the filibuster, which the president also wants eliminated.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Frustration boiled over Wednesday from some Republicans toward Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT), a leading author and proponent of the SAVE Act, as others came to Thune\u2019s defense. Lee\u2019s colleagues accuse him of misleading Trump on the Senate\u2019s ability to pass a measure that has repeatedly failed in floor votes.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., arrives at his office after President Donald Trump said he is delaying Jay Clayton\u2019s nomination to lead the U.S. intelligence community, at the Capitol in Washington, Wednesday, June 17, 2026. (AP Photo\/J. Scott Applewhite)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cI don\u2019t blame the president for trying. And I can assure you, if John Thune could deliver the SAVE Act, he would. He really would,\u201d said Sen. John Kennedy (R-LA), before referencing an unsuccessful bid by Lee to bypass the 60-vote filibuster. \u201cI mean, we tried it Mike\u2019s way \u2026 I just don\u2019t know what else \u2014 I\u2019ve said enough.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX), who lost his primary runoff to Trump-backed Ken Paxton, also appeared to direct criticism at Lee but did not mention him by name. Last week, <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/senate\/4606279\/john-cornyn-mike-lee-save-act-you-dont-have-votes\/\">Cornyn openly sparred with Lee<\/a> on social media over the proposal.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cI think part of the problem is not President Trump,\u201d Cornyn said. \u201cIt\u2019s us making unrealistic promises, and then when they\u2019re not attained, then criticizing one another.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Lee did not respond to a request for comment.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Sen. Todd Young (R-IN) praised Thune for \u201cmaintaining as much control as anyone could in these circumstances.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cOf course, it complicates things,\u201d Young told the <em>Washington Examiner<\/em> of Clayton. \u201cBut this is the president\u2019s prerogative, to pull a nominee.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/senate\/4612317\/senate-jay-clayton-confirmation-hearing-trump-cancel\/\">SENATE PUNTS JAY CLAYTON HEARING AFTER TRUMP UPENDS FISA OFFRAMP<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Republican senators and the White House insisted Clayton\u2019s nomination was simply \u201cpostponed\u201d and would proceed at a later, unspecified date. Senate Intelligence Committee Chairman Tom Cotton (R-AR), a close Trump ally, called the delay \u201cregrettable.\u201d <\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Still, it remains to be seen how the GOP will break the latest logjam created by the president on his legislative agenda just months before the midterm elections. When it comes to FISA, Democrats are demanding that Pulte be removed from his interim DNI post, slated to begin on Friday, and Republicans saw the quick appointment of Clayton as a way to win their votes for a reauthorization deal.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Earlier on Wednesday, Democrats <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.warner.senate.gov\/newsroom\/press-releases\/senate-intel-vice-chair-warner-statement-on-fisa-clayton-process\/\">denounced<\/a> the postponement of Clayton\u2019s hearing as an \u201cextraordinary display of dysfunction.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>David Sivak contributed to this report.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Trump\u2019s actions cause Senate chaos, GOP struggles to recover<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4067,"featured_media":2615374,"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\/2026\/06\/AP26168552110999.jpg?w=696","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[33651,538],"tags":[81346,34388,34548,3634,32515],"class_list":["post-2615371","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-western-journal","category-washington-examiner","tag-clayton-chaos","tag-political-turmoil","tag-senate-gop","tag-trump","tag-us-politics"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/AP26168552110999.jpg?w=696","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2615371","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\/4067"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2615371"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2615371\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2615376,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2615371\/revisions\/2615376"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2615374"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2615371"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2615371"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2615371"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}