Sen. Mark Warner says he hopes Senate can confirm Trump's DNI pick "this week"

Washington — Sen. Mark Warner, the apical Democrat connected the Senate Intelligence Committee, said connected Sunday that he's hopeful the Senate tin corroborate President Trump's caller nominee for manager of nationalist quality this week, amid an impasse implicit the president's arguable prime to service arsenic acting quality main that resulted successful the expiration of a cardinal spy authority precocious past week. 

"We volition get Clayton, I hope, confirmed arsenic rapidly arsenic possible. We volition past determination precise rapidly to get FISA reauthorized," the Virginia Democrat said connected "Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan."

The president announced connected Thursday that helium was nominating Jay Clayton, the existent U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York, to beryllium the adjacent manager of nationalist quality arsenic Tulsi Gabbard resigning arsenic manager of nationalist intelligence, citing husband's crab diagnosis. The determination came aft Democrats, and immoderate Republicans, had balked astatine Mr. Trump's enactment of the caput of the Federal Housing Finance Agency, Bill Pulte, to service arsenic acting manager of nationalist intelligence. 

Democrats refused to hold to an hold of a warrantless surveillance authorization nether Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act arsenic agelong arsenic Pulte was acceptable to presume the role. Then, with conscionable hours earlier the spy authorization was acceptable to expire, the president announced Clayton arsenic his semipermanent prime for quality chief. But the determination came excessively precocious for Congress to intervene, with the House having already near town. 

The Senate volition instrumentality connected Monday, wherever GOP leaders person indicated that they program to determination rapidly connected Clayton's nomination. The Senate Intelligence Committee is scheduled to clasp a confirmation proceeding Wednesday. 

Warner said "my anticipation is, if we tin get unanimous consent, we could adjacent get him confirmed this week," adding that helium hopes that the president would inquire Gabbard to enactment connected until Clayton tin beryllium confirmed, oregon let her lawman to instrumentality the reins. Democrats are expected to reason immoderate reauthorization of the spy authorization unless Pulte is retired of the picture. 

The quality committee vice president outlined his concerns astir Pulte astatine the helm, citing his deficiency of nationalist information acquisition and the vulnerability helium would person to the nation's classified programs.

"Out of ignorance, helium mightiness springiness distant information. I've had heads of our quality assemblage accidental to america they're terrified of showing him information. I've had overseas governments explicit immense concern," Warner said. "One happening we cognize astir Bill Pulte is helium volition bash immoderate Donald Trump says. He was capable to weaponize backstage owe security information. Giving him the keys to the 18 quality agencies would beryllium a catastrophe and a nationalist information threat."

Mr. Trump expressed exasperation implicit Democrats' presumption connected Sunday afternoon, penning successful a post connected Truth Social, "Why are the Dumocrats truthful acrophobic of of Bill Pulte astatine DNI???" In different post, the president said he's opposed to reauthorizing the spy authorization unless an elections measure he's agelong pushed for is attached — which Democrats wide oppose. 

As for Clayton, Warner said "I cognize Jay, I deliberation he's got the close temperament," though helium noted that helium wants to question the nominee astir maintaining predetermination integrity.

Warner acknowledged that the FISA authority's expiration poses a "national information risk." But helium argued it occurred due to the fact that the president "did not enactment guardant Clayton oregon anyone other that was morganatic until the timepiece had tally out."

Warner said "none of this needed to happen," arguing that the expiration wouldn't person occurred if the president would person announced Clayton arsenic his prime "a fewer days earlier." 

"If determination is thing that happens, God forbid the work lies with 1 man," Warner said. "Donald Trump."