Jay Clayton Faces Senate DNI Hearing as Bill Pulte Controversy Speeds Confirmation Push
Updated
Updated · Fox News · Jun 17
Jay Clayton Faces Senate DNI Hearing as Bill Pulte Controversy Speeds Confirmation Push
3 articles · Updated · Fox News · Jun 17
Summary
Walter "Jay" Clayton appears before the Senate Intelligence Committee on Wednesday in a likely tense hearing to become director of national intelligence, with some Democrats signaling they may move faster to install a permanent nominee.
Bill Pulte’s role as President Donald Trump’s temporary pick has driven that urgency, as Democrats argue the FHFA director lacks intelligence credentials and has politicized his current office.
Mark Kelly said Pulte’s possible tenure could be an "incentive" to accelerate Clayton’s nomination, though he noted any fast-track would require full committee participation and broader minority-party cooperation.
Clayton enters with a less controversial profile: as U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York, he has overseen violent crime, drug, Wall Street and national security cases despite not coming from the intelligence community.
John Thune called Clayton "eminently qualified" and said Republicans hope the committee can advance him later this week, making the hearing an early test of whether bipartisan resistance to Pulte translates into support for Clayton.