U.S. President Donald Trump announced on the social media platform Truth Social that he has canceled the Senate Intelligence Committee confirmation hearing for his nominee for Director of National Intelligence (DNI), Jay Clayton.
Trump stated that Clayton's nomination will not proceed until Jamie McDonald's appointment to Clayton's current position as U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York is confirmed.
Confusion in the Senate
The President's announcement of 'canceling' the hearing caused confusion in the Senate. Democratic Senator Martin Heinrich stated, "Yes. I don't think that's within his authority," indicating that the President does not have the power to cancel the hearing.
Intelligence Committee Chairman, Republican Senator Tom Cotton, initially announced that the hearing would proceed. However, an hour later, he announced the hearing was postponed, stating that President Trump had prevented Clayton from testifying.
FISA Renewal in Crisis
This development also jeopardized the fragile agreement reached weeks ago between Democrats and Republicans, which included the renewal of Section 702 of FISA (the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act).
The intelligence community argues this program is a critical tool in the fight against terrorism. Clayton's swift confirmation was seen as the key to securing Democratic support for the FISA renewal.
Trump Adds a New Condition
President Trump added another condition to his statement. He tied the renewal of FISA to the passage of the SAVE America Act, which would require voters to provide proof of citizenship.
Republican Senator Mike Lee said, "We should pass the SAVE America Act, and it would be a great thing to tie the passage of FISA to the prior passage of SAVE America."
However, Republican Senator John Kennedy took a more realistic approach, stating, "You can't always get what you want. I mean, I want a Porsche for my birthday. I'm not going to get it."
Democrats Concerned About National Security
Democratic Senator Mark Kelly assessed the situation, saying, "Yesterday we had a path forward (on FISA), and today we don't. This has turned into a complete debacle, and now it's up to the White House to find a path forward here."
Following the cancellation of Clayton's confirmation hearing, Senator Ron Wyden commented, "I've never seen anything like this before."
