Trump delays Clayton intelligence hearing, Senate reschedules for July 15

President Donald Trump’s last-minute intervention threw Jay Clayton’s confirmation hearing into turmoil and turned a routine Senate calendar item into a test of who would control a top national-security post. The Senate Intelligence Committee has now rescheduled Clayton’s hearing for July 15, about a month after the original June 17 date.

Trump moved first in an early-morning Truth Social post on June 17, saying he was “cancelling” the hearing and would not let it go forward until the Senate confirmed his preferred replacement for Clayton at the U.S. attorney’s office in Manhattan, James McDonald. He also said Bill Pulte would remain acting director of national intelligence in the meantime, extending uncertainty around a post that senators in both parties had wanted to fill quickly.

Senate Intelligence Committee chair Tom Cotton initially said the hearing would proceed, then reversed course after Trump’s directive. Cotton later called the delay “regrettable” and described Clayton as a “patriot” and a “highly qualified nominee.” The new hearing date came only after the White House made clear it was tying Clayton’s confirmation to broader political demands.

Trump linked the delay to two separate fights on Capitol Hill: the SAVE America Act, his voter-ID overhaul, and renewal of Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act. That surveillance authority had lapsed as the standoff unfolded, adding pressure to the confirmation process because Senate Republicans and Democrats had been hoping to move quickly and avoid leaving Pulte in the acting DNI role any longer than necessary.

The dispute left Senate leaders managing a moving target. Senate Majority Leader John Thune said the chamber would have to take things day by day until the White House’s position became clear, underscoring how a nomination that would normally move through committee on its own timetable became dependent on Trump’s political conditions. With the July 15 hearing now set, Clayton’s confirmation is back on the Senate’s schedule, but only after a delay that exposed how directly the president can shape personnel decisions tied to intelligence and surveillance policy.