Senate moving forward with Clayton hearing despite Trump move to delay

Washington — The Senate is moving guardant with Jay Clayton's confirmation proceeding connected Wednesday, contempt President Trump's 11th-hour propulsion to hold the installation of the caller manager of nationalist intelligence, a determination that scrambled Capitol Hill.

In an aboriginal greeting station connected Truth Social, Mr. Trump torpedoed the Senate's plan to determination up rapidly with Clayton's information with the anticipation of breaking a logjam connected a cardinal spy authorization that expired precocious past week. The president said "we are cancelling the Senate Hearing RE: DNI today," claiming it would not determination guardant until the Senate approves a replacement for his existent relation arsenic U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York.

Despite the president's demand, the Senate Intelligence Committee is acceptable to proceed with the confirmation hearing, said GOP Sen. Tom Cotton of Arkansas, the committee's chairman. The proceeding is scheduled to statesman astatine 2 p.m.

"Jay Clayton is simply a pending nominee earlier the Intelligence Committee. We volition proceed with his proceeding arsenic scheduled unless the president directs him not to look oregon withdraws his nomination," Cotton wrote connected X Wednesday morning. 

Senate Majority Leader John Thune reiterated the connection to reporters aboriginal Wednesday morning, saying Cotton plans to proceed with the confirmation hearing.

"From determination on, we'll conscionable person to instrumentality it a time astatine a time," Thune said, until senators get much "clarity" from the White House.

Mr. Trump announced Clayton arsenic his prime precocious past week. Senate GOP leaders made a propulsion to determination up with the information rapidly aft the president's enactment of Bill Pulte, a lodging official, arsenic acting manager roiled the enclosure successful caller weeks.

Democrats, and immoderate Republicans, balked astatine the selection, fixed Pulte's relation successful investigations into Mr. Trump's governmental foes and his deficiency of nationalist information experience. Democrats refused to hold to an hold of a cardinal spy authorization nether Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act arsenic agelong arsenic Pulte was acceptable to presume the role. 

Facing unit from GOP leaders to nominate a semipermanent prime for DNI, Mr. Trump announced Clayton conscionable hours earlier the spy authorization was acceptable to expire. But the announcement came excessively precocious for Congress to act.

In his lengthy station Wednesday morning, Mr. Trump said that "the Republicans moved truthful accelerated with the hearings of the Great Jay Clayton, existent U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York, that Pulte would beryllium gone earlier the Dumocrats would ballot connected FISA." He claimed "the Republicans fell into a trap." And helium besides threatened not to o.k. a reauthorization of the cardinal spy authorization unless an elections measure known arsenic the SAVE America Act, which Democrats wide oppose, is attached.

The determination enactment the confirmation process successful limbo, upending what appeared to beryllium a glidepath to confirmation for Clayton hours earlier.

Clayton is simply a well-regarded lawyer who presently oversees the U.S. Attorney's Office successful Manhattan, 1 of the highest-profile and astir prestigious jurisdictions successful the country. The bureau is known for its prosecution of white-collar cases and fiscal crimes. Clayton served arsenic the caput of the Securities and Exchange Commission successful the archetypal Trump medication pursuing a lengthy vocation astatine the instrumentality steadfast Sullivan & Cromwell.

Senate Republicans celebrated the nomination. Thune told reporters that Clayton has "a large estimation of being an incredibly competent manager." Cotton called Clayton an "excellent choice," portion vowing to process his information quickly.

"In his work to the radical of New York, Mr. Clayton has heavy acquisition combatting a wide scope of nationalist information threats," Cotton said. 

Clayton's information came aft Tulsi Gabbard announced successful May that she would resign arsenic manager of nationalist intelligence, citing her husband's crab diagnosis. She was primitively expected to stay successful the relation until the extremity of June, but Mr. Trump said past week that Pulte would instrumentality implicit this Friday. 

The anticipation of Pulte arsenic acting DNI, and Democrats' continued absorption to reauthorizing Section 702 successful response, prompted Senate Republicans to determination rapidly to instal Clayton successful the role. Thune said past week that the enclosure would "probe the limits" of what's realistic successful their efforts to rapidly corroborate Clayton, mounting up his proceeding wrong days.

The Intelligence Committee was expected to ballot connected Clayton's information arsenic soon arsenic Thursday. But the president's interjection calls that into question.