The Senate postponed a confirmation hearing for Jay Clayton to become director of national intelligence on Wednesday, June 17, 2026, after President Donald Trump issued a surprise early-morning demand to delay the nomination until Congress advances his stalled voting legislation and approves a separate nominee.
Senator Tom Cotton, Republican of Arkansas and chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, initially vowed to proceed with Clayton’s hearing despite Trump’s social media post. But Cotton reversed course roughly two hours later, announcing the hearing would not take place as scheduled.
“It’s regrettable that the president has directed Jay Clayton not to appear at his confirmation hearing today,” Cotton wrote on social media. “Mr. Clayton is a patriot and a highly qualified nominee, as the president has said repeatedly.”
Trump’s directive came in a Truth Social post published just before 4 a.m. Eastern time on Wednesday while the president was attending the G7 Summit in France. The post upended what Senate Republican leaders had hoped would be a swift confirmation process designed to install a permanent intelligence chief and resolve a standoff over a critical surveillance program.
In his overnight message, Trump wrote that “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 added that Bill Pulte, his controversial acting director of national intelligence, would remain in the position.
The president also threatened to block reauthorization of FISA Section 702, a warrantless surveillance tool that expired on Friday, June 13, unless Congress simultaneously passes the SAVE America Act. That Republican-backed voting bill, which would require voters to present documents proving U.S. citizenship such as a passport or birth certificate when registering to vote, failed in the Senate on June 10 and lacks the 60 votes needed to overcome a Democratic filibuster.
Trump claimed in his post that "the Republicans fell into a trap" by moving too quickly on Clayton’s nomination, allowing Democrats to force out Pulte before voting on the surveillance program’s renewal. He wrote that he would “not approve FISA without THE SAVE AMERICA ACT going along with it.”
Cotton’s initial response defied the president’s demand. “Jay Clayton is a pending nominee before the Intelligence Committee,” the senator wrote on social media early Wednesday. “We will proceed with his hearing as scheduled unless the president directs him not to appear or withdraws his nomination.”
When reporters asked Thune why Trump was blocking Clayton’s hearing, he replied, “Good question.”
Thune told reporters that senators would “have to take it a day at a time until we get more clarity on kind of what the White House position is.” The postponement revealed friction between the president and Senate Republicans regarding appointments and legislative tactics. Schumer criticized Trump for making FISA reauthorization unattainable while humiliating GOP senators.
Clayton holds the position of U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York, handling the indictment of former Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro among other cases. He previously worked at Sullivan & Cromwell and led the Securities and Exchange Commission during Trump’s first term, confirmed by the Senate after a March 23, 2017, hearing. He has been praised as a capable manager.
Trump announced Clayton as his nominee for director of national intelligence on June 12, just hours before Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act was set to expire. Senate Republican leaders had pushed for a quick confirmation in response to widespread criticism of Pulte, a housing official with no intelligence experience who has drawn fire for investigating Trump’s critics on allegations of mortgage fraud.
Democrats and some Republicans balked at Pulte’s appointment and refused to renew the surveillance authority while he remained acting director. Senate lawmakers had hoped to have Clayton confirmed and sworn in by Thursday, June 19, resolving the standoff and restoring the expired intelligence tool.
The director of national intelligence leads the U.S. intelligence community across 18 agencies and organizations, serving as the president’s principal intelligence adviser and coordinating the work of the nation’s spy services.
A recent attempt to attach the citizenship verification bill to funding for Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Border Patrol failed in the Senate by a vote of 48 to 50, with four Republicans joining Democrats in opposition.
Senator Kevin Cramer, Republican of North Dakota, questioned the wisdom of linking the two issues. “No, it doesn’t go together naturally,” Cramer said, explaining that attaching the voting bill to must-pass legislation could backfire if Democrats simply refuse to pass it. “If the temporary stewardship of DNI by Bill Pulte creates an entire revolt, the SAVE America Act will certainly have the same outcome.”
Cotton said in his statement postponing the hearing that he looked forward “to proceeding with his confirmation in the near future,” but did not specify when the committee might reschedule Clayton’s appearance. Thune told reporters the Senate would need to wait for further direction from the White House before determining next steps.