Trump puts Jay Clayton's nomination for intel chief on hold

Évian-les-Bains, France —  President Trump said connected Wednesday that he's delaying Jay Clayton's information to pb the U.S. quality assemblage successful a bid to unit Congress to enactment connected a elector ID measure that presently lacks capable enactment for passage.

Mr. Trump said successful a lengthy station connected his societal media site that helium volition support Bill Pulte, a apical U.S. lodging official, arsenic acting manager of nationalist intelligence.

Lawmakers successful some parties had opposed Mr. Trump's information of Pulte, citing his evident deficiency of acquisition successful the quality field, which fundamentally forced the president to crook to Clayton.

Clayton had been acceptable to look connected Wednesday for a Senate confirmation proceeding that was fast-tracked due to the fact that of the lapse of a important surveillance program owed to bipartisan choler implicit Mr. Trump's prime of Pulte.

Democrats had said they wouldn't renew the expired surveillance programs until Mr. Trump withdrew Pulte's nomination.

In the societal media post, Mr. Trump accused Democrats of breaking a woody to renew the programme aft helium nominated Clayton. Mr. Trump besides said helium doesn't privation to instrumentality Clayton retired of the U.S. attorney's bureau earlier his replacement, Jamie McDonald, is approved.

And helium added different condition: linking his support of the surveillance programme to the transition of a measure requiring radical to amusement ID successful bid to vote.

"Therefore, to adhd a flimsy spot of intrigue but, for the Good of the Nation, and the People of our Country, I volition not o.k. FISA without THE SAVE AMERICA ACT going on with it," Mr. Trump said, utilizing the acronym for the surveillance programme and his sanction for the elector ID bill.

The Republican-controlled Congress hasn't acted connected the voting measure due to the fact that it does not person capable enactment to walk successful either chamber, peculiarly from Democrats.

A well-regarded lawyer, Clayton presently serves arsenic U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York, 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.  

Mr. Trump made the announcement successful Evian-les-Bains, France, wherever helium was participating successful the last time of the Group of Seven acme of starring concern economies.

Caitlin Yilek contributed to this report.

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