Trump leaves – President Donald Trump abruptly pulled his nominee for director of national intelligence and ordered a halt to Jay Clayton’s confirmation hearing, leaving Bill Pulte—already facing bipartisan criticism over his intelligence experience—in the acting DNI role. T
For a second day, the Senate Intelligence Committee had a confirmation hearing on the calendar at 2 p.m. on June 17—until the White House told Jay Clayton not to appear. Then President Donald Trump took to social media and made a different choice: he pulled his DNI pick. kept Bill Pulte in place as acting director of national intelligence. and linked the dispute to the future of the surveillance authority that Congress is still failing to renew.
Pulte. a former head of the Federal Housing Finance Agency. remained acting DNI despite bipartisan criticism over his lack of experience in intelligence work. Trump had named Pulte as the new acting director after Tulsi Gabbard resigned as director of national intelligence in May. and after Gabbard’s departure left the top intelligence post without a confirmed leader. The controversy has now widened into a direct fight between the White House and Democrats over how quickly the Senate moves—and over what Congress must approve next.
Trump’s stop-and-start unfolded in public moments that were already tense. Sen. Tom Cotton. R-Arkansas. said earlier the hearing would go on but later said it was “unfortunately postponed.” Cotton called Clayton “a patriot and a highly qualified nominee.” On the Democratic side. Sen. Mark Warner of Virginia—the top Democrat on the Senate Intelligence Committee—said he had “great respect” for Clayton. and warned that “National security cannot be governed by social media post.” Warner’s statement came as Democrats accused the president of “dysfunction” over the confusion around the spy chief.
Trump’s grievance centered on timing and the renewal of intelligence authorities. He complained on social media that the Senate was moving so fast to confirm Clayton that Pulte would be gone before Congress votes to renew Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act. At the G7 conference in France. Trump told reporters. “It was a rush act by the Democrats. ” and asked. “Why are they afraid of this guy?” referring to Pulte. Trump added that Pulte is “a very capable guy” and said Democrats were worried about him.
The dispute is not abstract. Section 702 is the statute used for spying on foreigners, but critics worry U.S. citizens can be swept up in warrantless surveillance. The law has also been credited for stopping “numerous terrorist attacks,” including on a Taylor Swift concert in Vienna in 2024.
Congress is now racing against the possibility of lapse. The House blocked renewal on June 11. The vote was 198-218, with 19 Republicans crossing the aisle to vote against it and seven Democrats voting for it. Before that. Secretary of State Marco Rubio was warned in a June 5 letter to get ready for a “potential significant gap in foreign-intelligence collection.”.
Trump argued that Democrats would continue opposing renewing the intelligence law even if Clayton becomes director of national intelligence. He also said Democrats might block Jamie McDonald, the president’s nominee to succeed Clayton as U.S. attorney.
When the hearing was effectively halted. Trump left Pulte in the role “as long as it takes.” He said on June 17 that Pulte would remain acting director of national intelligence “as long as it takes to get everybody else approved.” Trump also wrote on social media that “Not complicated. actually. the Republicans fell into a trap.” He then added. “In the meantime. Bill Pulte will remain as the Acting Director of National Intelligence.”.
To make the standoff even more contentious, Trump demanded that the legislation include additional priorities tied to election policy. He wants voter identification required to cast a ballot. proof of citizenship to register. and an end to most mail-in ballots. On social media. Trump said. “Therefore. to add a slight bit of intrigue but. for the Good of the Nation. and the People of our Country. I will not approve FISA without THE SAVE AMERICA ACT going along with it.”.
That sequence—pushing for election-law concessions. delaying a DNI confirmation. and keeping a politically and professionally contested acting chief in place—has turned what should have been a clean administrative transition into a broader bargaining fight over surveillance powers that lawmakers are still failing to renew. With Section 702 in limbo and the risk of a “potential significant gap in foreign-intelligence collection” already flagged. the question is no longer just who leads the intelligence system next. but whether the authorities needed to operate it will remain intact long enough for the rest of the approvals to catch up.
Trump director of national intelligence Bill Pulte Jay Clayton FISA Section 702 Tulsi Gabbard Marco Rubio Tom Cotton Mark Warner Senate Intelligence Committee foreign intelligence surveillance