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Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-La.) implored President Trump on Thursday to allow Jay Clayton, his nominee for director of national intelligence, to appear before the Senate Intelligence Committee for his confirmation hearing, warning that preventing him from doing so “puts American lives at risk.”
Trump threw the Senate into turmoil Wednesday by announcing on Truth Social that “we are cancelling” Clayton’s appearance before the Senate Intelligence Committee hours before he was scheduled to testify as part of his confirmation process.
Trump’s decision to pull Clayton out of his confirmation hearing derailed Senate Majority Leader John Thune’s (R-S.D.) plan to quickly confirm him, which would then clear the way for Senate Democrats to support an extension of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act’s (FISA) Section 702 expanded authorities.
“Democrats have been blocking FISA in bad faith, but confirming Jay Clayton would allow for a quicker resolution. Mr. President, by preventing Jay Clayton from testifying before the Senate Intelligence Committee, it puts American lives at risk. Put America first. Don’t stop Jay Clayton from coming before the Intel Committee,” Cassidy posted on the social platform X.
Republicans were furious over Trump’s surprise decision to cancel Clayton’s appearance because it will delay action on any deal with Democrats to renew the FISA authorities that expired on June 12.
“I was surprised. I was looking forward to the hearing and the opportunity to ask some questions of Mr. Clayton. He has been praised by members of both sides of the aisle,” said Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine), a senior member of the Intelligence panel, in reaction to the sudden cancellation of Clayton’s testimony.
“I’m concerned that this slows down the renewal of FISA, which is vital for our national security,” she said.
Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) warned that Senate Republicans “will never” get Section 702 of FISA extended while Bill Pulte, the director of the Federal Housing Finance Agency, is serving as the acting director of national intelligence.
“We’ll never get Section 702 confirmed while people think [Pulte] is at the helm,” he said. “This is not hard.”
Tillis called Pulte, who does not have a security clearance, “the wrong person for the job” of intelligence director.
Add as preferred source on Google Tags Bill Cassidy Bill Pulte Jay Clayton John Thune Susan Collins Thom TillisCopyright 2026 Nexstar Media Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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