A top Senate Democrat says lawmakers could move quickly to confirm President Donald Trump’s nominee to lead the nation’s intelligence community, potentially clearing the way for Congress to revive a key surveillance authority that expired last week amid a partisan standoff.
Sen. Mark Warner (D-VA), vice chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, said Sunday that he hopes the Senate can confirm Jay Clayton, Trump’s nominee for director of national intelligence (DNI), as early as this week.
“We will get Clayton, I hope, confirmed as quickly as possible,” Warner said during an appearance on CBS News‘ Face the Nation. “We will then move very quickly to get FISA reauthorized.”
The push comes after a fierce dispute over the future leadership of the intelligence community helped derail a last-minute effort to extend Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA), a controversial surveillance program that allows U.S. intelligence agencies to collect communications of foreign targets located overseas.
Trump Turns To Jay Clayton
Trump announced Thursday that he was nominating Clayton, the current U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York and former chairman of the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), to become the next director of national intelligence.
The nomination followed the departure of DNI Tulsi Gabbard, who announced she was stepping down to focus on family matters after her husband’s cancer diagnosis.
Clayton is best known for serving as SEC chairman during Trump’s first term, where he oversaw regulatory policy and enforcement actions affecting U.S. financial markets. He currently serves as the top federal prosecutor in Manhattan, one of the nation’s most prominent law enforcement posts.
While Clayton’s background is primarily in law, finance, and regulation rather than intelligence operations, Warner indicated he believes the nominee is qualified for the role.
“I know Jay. I think he’s got the right temperament,” Warner said.
Democrats Object To Pulte
The controversy centers on Trump’s reported plan to install Federal Housing Finance Agency Director Bill Pulte as acting director of national intelligence while awaiting Senate confirmation of a permanent nominee.
Democrats strongly opposed that move, arguing Pulte lacks national security experience and should not be entrusted with access to highly classified intelligence programs.
Warner warned that placing Pulte in charge of the intelligence community would create serious risks.
“Giving him the keys to the 18 intelligence agencies would be a disaster and a national security threat,” Warner said.
Democrats subsequently refused to support a temporary extension of Section 702 while Pulte remained positioned to assume the acting DNI role. With the House already adjourned, Congress was unable to pass a reauthorization before the surveillance authority expired.
Senate Moves Ahead
The Senate Intelligence Committee is scheduled to hold a confirmation hearing for Clayton on Wednesday, and Senate Republicans have signaled they intend to move the nomination quickly.
Warner suggested that if senators agree to expedite the process, Clayton could potentially be confirmed before the end of the week.
He also urged the administration to either keep Gabbard in place temporarily or allow her deputy to oversee the intelligence community until a permanent director is confirmed.
