President Donald Trump announced Wednesday that he is putting the brakes on Jay Clayton’s nomination to serve as the nation’s top intelligence official, using the delay as pressure on Congress to pass a voter ID measure that currently doesn’t have enough votes to clear either chamber.
In a lengthy post on his social media platform, Trump said Bill Pulte, who currently holds a senior position in U.S. housing, will remain as acting director of national intelligence. Members of both parties had pushed back against Pulte’s nomination, pointing to what they viewed as his lack of relevant intelligence experience — opposition that effectively pushed Trump toward Clayton as an alternative.
Clayton had been scheduled to appear before the Senate for a confirmation hearing on Wednesday, a process that had been fast-tracked following the expiration of a critical surveillance program. That program lapsed largely because of widespread bipartisan anger over Trump’s original choice of Pulte.
Democrats had previously indicated they would agree to renew the expired surveillance programs once Trump pulled back Pulte’s nomination.
In his social media post, Trump accused Democrats of going back on an agreement to restore the program after he put Clayton’s name forward. Trump also stated he does not want to remove Clayton from the U.S. attorney’s office before Clayton’s would-be replacement, Jamie McDonald, receives approval.
Trump then added yet another condition, saying he would not approve the surveillance program — known as FISA — unless Congress also passed the voter ID legislation he calls the Save America Act.
“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,” Trump wrote in the post.
The voter ID bill has stalled in the Republican-controlled Congress because it lacks sufficient backing in both the House and Senate, particularly among Democrats.
Trump made his announcement from Evian-les-Bains, France, where he was attending the final day of the Group of Seven summit, a gathering of leaders from the world’s major industrial economies.
