{"id":6706,"date":"2026-07-15T13:53:35","date_gmt":"2026-07-15T08:53:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/?p=6706"},"modified":"2026-07-15T13:53:35","modified_gmt":"2026-07-15T08:53:35","slug":"senate-to-hold-hearing-for-trumps-pick-to-head-intelligence-agencies-after-weekslong-delay","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/?p=6706","title":{"rendered":"Senate to hold hearing for Trump&#8217;s pick to head intelligence agencies after weekslong delay"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><script>\r\n  atOptions = {\r\n    'key' : '644b717812d811d6a1c1fc5b6ccd6fa6',\r\n    'format' : 'iframe',\r\n    'height' : 90,\r\n    'width' : 728,\r\n    'params' : {}\r\n  };\r\n<\/script>\r\n<script src=\"https:\/\/www.highperformanceformat.com\/644b717812d811d6a1c1fc5b6ccd6fa6\/invoke.js\"><\/script>\r\n<br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div data-testid=\"prism-article-body\">\n<p class=\"EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao MvWXB TjIXL aGjvy ebVHC \"><span class=\"oyrPY qlwaB AGxeB  \">WASHINGTON &#8212; <\/span>WASHINGTON (AP) \u2014 <a class=\"zZygg UbGlr iFzkS qdXbA WCDhQ DbOXS tqUtK GpWVU iJYzE \" data-testid=\"prism-linkbase\" href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/jay-clayton-pulte-trump-national-intelligence-director-b9a89bd3f1cb9c70fcca79de4c42cc99\">Jay Clayton<\/a>, President Donald Trump\u2019s pick to head the nation\u2019s intelligence agencies, will testify before the Senate Intelligence Committee on Wednesday, weeks after Trump <a class=\"zZygg UbGlr iFzkS qdXbA WCDhQ DbOXS tqUtK GpWVU iJYzE \" data-testid=\"prism-linkbase\" href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/trump-jay-clayton-congress-voting-bill-bc75e8a07ea29788b602625cf1c54b47\">abruptly delayed his nomination<\/a>. <\/p>\n<p class=\"EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy \">Republicans and even some Democrats have been eager to quickly confirm Clayton, the U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York and a former Securities and Exchange Commission chairman, as they have expressed concerns about Trump\u2019s interim appointee for the intelligence post, <a class=\"zZygg UbGlr iFzkS qdXbA WCDhQ DbOXS tqUtK GpWVU iJYzE \" data-testid=\"prism-linkbase\" href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/trump-pulte-gabbard-national-intelligence-281fd6ba9992487dc701768803f9c475\">Bill Pulte<\/a>. Pulte, who has been in the job since June 19, is a former housing official with no known intelligence experience and who used <a class=\"zZygg UbGlr iFzkS qdXbA WCDhQ DbOXS tqUtK GpWVU iJYzE \" data-testid=\"prism-linkbase\" href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/trump-bill-pulte-lisa-cook-federal-reserve-00d9bf828f824eceda7b30f704d1de71\">his previous administration perch<\/a> to target perceived adversaries of the president. <\/p>\n<p class=\"EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy \">Senate Intelligence Committee Chairman Tom Cotton, R-Ark., expressed frustration when Trump delayed Clayton\u2019s nomination in a social media post last month, allowing Pulte to take office. Cotton said then that Clayton had been instructed not to appear at a scheduled confirmation hearing, but he rescheduled the hearing three weeks later, with apparent approval from the White House. <\/p>\n<p class=\"EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy \">\u201cMr. Clayton is a patriot and a highly qualified nominee, as the president has said repeatedly,\u201d Cotton said. <\/p>\n<p class=\"EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy \">While Clayton has received some bipartisan praise, Democrats are expected to aggressively question him on how he would approach the issue of election interference, especially as Trump has said he will deliver a primetime address on Thursday with a focus on elections, suggesting he could revisit long-debunked conspiracy theories about his 2020 defeat to Democrat Joe Biden.<\/p>\n<p class=\"EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy \">\u201cTrump made it clear that he expects whomever is Director of National Intelligence to promote his baseless election conspiracy theories,\u201d said Oregon Sen. Ron Wyden, a Democratic member of the intelligence panel, after the nomination was delayed last month. <\/p>\n<p class=\"EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy \">Virginia Sen. Mark Warner, the panel\u2019s top Democrat on the Senate Intelligence Committee, said in June that he has \u201cknown and respected Jay Clayton for many years and believe he is a capable public servant.\u201d But he has stopped short of saying he would vote for him.<\/p>\n<p class=\"EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy \">Connecticut Rep. Jim Himes, the top Democrat on the House intelligence panel, said he worked with Clayton when he was chairman of the Securities and Exchange Commission, and &#8220;during that time, he had the independence of mind and respect for the law that are necessary for any Director of National Intelligence,\u201d Himes said. <\/p>\n<p class=\"EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy \">Still, most Democrats are expected to vote against his nomination. Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., said Tuesday that he expects to oppose Clayton, but he and other Democrats may not object if majority Republicans want to try and speed up his confirmation so that he can replace Pulte. <\/p>\n<p class=\"EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy \">\u201cI\u2019m not going to vote for him,\u201d Blumenthal said. \u201cBut I wouldn\u2019t object to an accelerated vote.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy \">Clayton is currently the U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York, the most prestigious of the Justice Department\u2019s prosecution offices. His cases have ranged from terrorism and espionage cases to security fraud and public corruption.<\/p>\n<p class=\"EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy \">Democrats are certain to press Clayton on his role in recent subpoenas of four New York Times journalists after they reported on security concerns involving the new, <a class=\"zZygg UbGlr iFzkS qdXbA WCDhQ DbOXS tqUtK GpWVU iJYzE \" data-testid=\"prism-linkbase\" href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/trump-air-force-one-plane-qatar-8eb5da68e95d583b14811f85e62cbcd1\">Qatari-gifted Air Force One<\/a>. The Committee to Protect Journalists has called the subpoenas \u201can extraordinary escalation in President Trump\u2019s efforts to threaten and intimidate independent news organizations and have a chilling effect on the work of journalists across the country.&#8221; <\/p>\n<p class=\"EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy \">Under Clayton, the office also facilitated the unsealing of thousands of pages of court records from the prosecutions of <a class=\"zZygg UbGlr iFzkS qdXbA WCDhQ DbOXS tqUtK GpWVU iJYzE \" data-testid=\"prism-linkbase\" href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/hub\/jeffrey-epstein\">Jeffrey Epstein<\/a> and <a class=\"zZygg UbGlr iFzkS qdXbA WCDhQ DbOXS tqUtK GpWVU iJYzE \" data-testid=\"prism-linkbase\" href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/hub\/ghislaine-maxwell\">Ghislaine Maxwell<\/a> \u2014 documents that were made public as part of the Justice Department\u2019s release of records related to the late sex offender and his longtime confidant.<\/p>\n<p class=\"EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy \">Clayton has also overseen the prosecution of former Venezuelan President <a class=\"zZygg UbGlr iFzkS qdXbA WCDhQ DbOXS tqUtK GpWVU iJYzE \" data-testid=\"prism-linkbase\" href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/hub\/nicolas-maduro\">Nicol\u00e1s Maduro<\/a> and Maduro\u2019s wife, Cilia Flores, on drug trafficking charges.<\/p>\n<p class=\"EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy \">Clayton\u2019s confirmation could potentially clear the way for bipartisan legislation to renew <a class=\"zZygg UbGlr iFzkS qdXbA WCDhQ DbOXS tqUtK GpWVU iJYzE \" data-testid=\"prism-linkbase\" href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/fisa-702-spy-powers-surveillance-congress-terrorism-063e0f03ca366eaa339f9c51755d943a\">Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act<\/a>, or FISA, which stalled last month when Democrats had said they would not provide the necessary votes to pass the bill unless Pulte\u2019s temporary appointment was withdrawn.<\/p>\n<p class=\"EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy \">The law, which aims to prevent terrorist attacks by monitoring the communications of targeted foreigners located outside the United States, expired in June. <\/p>\n<p class=\"EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy \">Even if Democrats relent, though, it is unclear if Trump would sign it. He said in his June social media post delaying Clayton\u2019s nomination that he would not sign the FISA renewal without his legislation to require <a class=\"zZygg UbGlr iFzkS qdXbA WCDhQ DbOXS tqUtK GpWVU iJYzE \" data-testid=\"prism-linkbase\" href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/save-act-trump-thune-senate-voter-registration-dbed03cdb33350a49e351ae64676069c\">proof of citizenship for all voters<\/a> \u2014 which does not have enough votes to pass the Senate. <\/p>\n<p class=\"EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy \">Clearing Clayton\u2019s nomination \u201cwould be a good first step\u201d in moving the FISA renewal, said South Dakota Sen. Mike Rounds, a member of the intelligence panel. <\/p>\n<p class=\"EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy \">Rounds said that Republicans hope to move Clayton\u2019s nomination quickly through the process, if Democrats don\u2019t object. <\/p>\n<p class=\"EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy \">\u201cWe\u2019re looking forward to getting him into that position as quickly as possible,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy \">___<\/p>\n<p class=\"EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC eTIW sUzSN \">Associated Press writer Eric Tucker contributed to this report. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n<script async=\"async\" data-cfasync=\"false\" src=\"https:\/\/pl30214220.effectivecpmnetwork.com\/9ab3d4df8a7e1a6171e16ddbf732cc19\/invoke.js\"><\/script>\r\n<div id=\"container-9ab3d4df8a7e1a6171e16ddbf732cc19\"><\/div>\r\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>WASHINGTON &#8212; WASHINGTON (AP) \u2014 Jay Clayton, President Donald Trump\u2019s pick to head the nation\u2019s intelligence agencies, will testify before the Senate Intelligence Committee on Wednesday, weeks after Trump abruptly delayed his nomination. Republicans and even some Democrats have been eager to quickly confirm Clayton, the U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":6707,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/i.abcnewsfe.com\/a\/fc41c19c-7042-4fe7-ba47-baac01f0ca1c\/wirestory_1532baf2e182ede8d67e2d5561f296a8_16x9.jpg?w=1600","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[17],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-6706","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-political-news"],"brizy_media":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6706","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=6706"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6706\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/6707"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=6706"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=6706"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=6706"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}