WASHINGTON \u2014 President Trump on Wednesday barred Director of National Intelligence nominee Jay Clayton from showing up to his confirmation hearing just hours before an eager Senate was to fast-track his nomination. <\/p>\n
Trump made the surprise demand over Truth Social in his latest dustup with Senate Republicans, insisting instead they first confirm Clayton\u2019s successor as US Attorney for the Southern District of New York.<\/p>\n
In a rare flex, Republicans initially sought to forge ahead with the hearing in a rush to get Clayton in place to succeed outgoing DNI Tulsi Gabbard \u2014 and avoid installing federal housing chief Bill Pulte into the role on an interim basis. <\/p>\n
President Trump in a Truth Social post Wednesday had called for the hearing to be nixed. Getty Images<\/p>\n
But once it was clear the president wouldn\u2019t let Clayton attend, the hearing was called off. It appears Pulte will be in place by the end of this week to lead the US intelligence agencies temporarily.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s regrettable that the president has directed Jay Clayton not to appear at his confirmation hearing today,\u201d said<\/a> Senate Intelligence Committee Chairman Tom Cotton (R-Ark.).<\/p>\n Follow The Post\u2019s live coverage of President Trump and national politics for the latest news and analysis<\/a><\/p>\n \u201cMr. Clayton is a patriot and a highly qualified nominee, as the president has said repeatedly. While today\u2019s hearing is now unfortunately postponed, I look forward to proceeding with his confirmation in the near future.\u201d<\/p>\n Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) told reporters earlier Wednesday that Cotton was \u201cplanning to proceed\u201d despite an earlier threat from Trump, who in a Truth Social post<\/a> called for the hearing to be nixed.<\/p>\n Cotton had noted that \u201cunless the president directs him not to appear or withdraws his nomination,\u201d the hearing would commence.<\/p>\n The president had before drawn a red line that only when Sullivan and Cromwell partner Jamie McDonald was \u201capproved\u201d as Clayton\u2019s replacement in the Manhattan US Attorney\u2019s Office could the DNI nom be considered.<\/p>\n The president also said he would not \u201capprove\u201d of a bill reauthorizing one of the government\u2019s premier foreign spying powers until the GOP\u2019s voter ID bill passes Congress \u2014 the latter of which doesn\u2019t stand a chance of clearing the Senate\u2019s 60-vote filibuster with Democratic support.<\/p>\n \u201cAll I know is that [Senate Intelligence Committee] Chairman [Tom] Cotton [R-Ark.] is planning to proceed,\u201d Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) told reporters Wednesday. ZUMAPRESS.com<\/p>\n Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act lapsed on Friday after Senate Democrats blocked a short-term extension of the authority \u2014 in protest of Pulte\u2019s appointment as acting head of the intelligence agency to fill in for outgoing DNI Tulsi Gabbard.<\/p>\n Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) told reporters that \u201c702 is going to stay dark, and that\u2019s a danger to the country during the World Cup, where we have a lot of people here from around the world, and where we\u2019ve got regimes like the Iranian regime mad at us.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWe basically blinded our intelligence community, because 60% of the president\u2019s daily brief comes from 702, by tying all these together, and then also saying, \u2018Well, you got to pass the Save America Act,\u2019 which we know we don\u2019t have the votes for,\u201d Cornyn also said. \u201cWe\u2019ve got to find a solution.\u201d<\/p>\n Trump nominated Clayton to succeed Gabbard hours before both chambers of Congress would deliberate on FISA. AP Photo\/Seth Wenig<\/p>\n