Senate Majority Leader John Thune told reporters on Thursday that he will work to confirm President Donald Trump’s nominee for director of national intelligence as quickly as possible.
“I don’t know what realistic is, but we’re gonna probe the limits of it,” said the South Dakota Republican, per Roll Call.
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Trump announced Thursday afternoon that he intends to nominate Jay Clayton, who currently serves as U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York, for the position.
The Senate Intelligence Committee moved quickly, scheduling a confirmation hearing for Wednesday and a committee business meeting for Thursday, Roll Call reported.
Trump also tapped Bill Pulte to serve as acting director beginning June 19, current Director Tulsi Gabbard’s last day.
Gabbard announced last month she would be stepping down to care for her husband who has a rare bone cancer.
The decision to appoint Clayton further hardened Democratic opposition to extending Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, even on a temporary basis.
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The authority will now lapse heading into the weekend.
Thune noted that Clayton “has been through the process obviously before.”
“So, my assumption is at least that if we can get the nomination and the paperwork here, we can move fairly quickly,” Thune said.
During Trump’s first term, the Senate confirmed Clayton by a 61-37 vote to serve as chairman of the Securities and Exchange Commission.
His nomination to become U.S. attorney, however, stalled in the Senate last year before he was ultimately appointed to the post by a federal court, Roll Call added.
Senate Intelligence Committee Chairman Tom Cotton praised the selection, calling Clayton “an excellent choice” in a post on social media.
“In his service to the people of New York, Mr. Clayton has deep experience combatting a wide range of national security threats,” Cotton wrote. “The Senate Intelligence Committee will quickly process his nomination.”
Trump on Thursday confirmed that Pulte “will serve for a short run” until Clayton is approved by the Senate. “He’s only there for a little while. He’s running it for a short while, when we get a very talented person, Jay Clayton.
Democrats voiced concerns about Pulte’s lack of intelligence or national security experience. Pulte currently serves as director of the Federal Housing Finance Agency and chairman of mortgage giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.
Critics have also pointed to his efforts to refer several Democrats to the Justice Department over alleged mortgage fraud.
Sen. Mark Warner, D-Va., the top Democrat on the Senate Intelligence Committee, said while he is “glad to see the president finally come to his senses, before the Senate can take up a FISA extension there needs to be a clear guarantee that Mr. Pulte will not serve as acting DNI.”
“Either Director [Tulsi] Gabbard must remain in place, or the administration must designate the Senate-confirmed Principal Deputy DNI as the acting head through any transition,” Warner added, per Roll Call.
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) also complained about Pulte, saying he “has to go.”
“He cannot be in the DNI role. Our national security is too important,” Schumer said.
Republicans have countered that reauthorizing Section 702 is a matter of national security.
“The responsible next step is to have a short-term extension of this legislation, especially as we begin welcoming literally millions of foreigners to this country for the World Cup and for the America 250 celebrations right around the corner,” Cotton said Thursday from the chamber floor.
“If we don’t extend it for at least a few weeks while we continue to work on our differences, the consequences could be severe. The consequences, to be frank, could be fatal,” he added.
On Thursday, a short-term extension in the House did not pass, making it almost certain that the statutory authority for the spy power will expire.
The House is also set to go on recess next week, which means the issue will fall back to the Senate when they reconvene on Monday.
This article may contain commentary which reflects the author’s opinion.
