President Donald Trump announced on Wednesday that the Senate hearing for Jay Clayton's nomination as director of national intelligence (DNI) will not proceed as scheduled. In a post on Truth Social, Trump stated that the hearing would be postponed until Jamie McDonald is confirmed as the U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York. The Senate Select Committee on Intelligence had planned to hold the hearing on Wednesday afternoon.
Trump linked the cancellation to ongoing negotiations regarding the renewal of Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA), claiming that Democrats withdrew support for the surveillance authority after Republicans agreed to remove Bill Pulte as acting DNI. This provision allows U.S. intelligence agencies to collect communications from foreign targets outside the U.S.
Additionally, Trump indicated that he would not support the renewal of FISA authorities unless Congress also advances the SAVE AMERICA ACT, a voting-security measure endorsed by his administration. The hearing was part of a broader discussion on the future of U.S. intelligence leadership and the reauthorization of key surveillance authorities.
In his post, Trump stated, "Regarding the approval of our Great Patriot, Jay Clayton, we are cancelling the Senate Hearing RE: DNI today, and will not be going forward until Jamie McDonald is approved to be U.S. Attorney." He also mentioned that Bill Pulte would continue as the Acting Director of National Intelligence until further notice.