Tom Cotton Postpones Hearing For DNI Pick Jay Clayton After Trump Blows Up Nomination Process

Republican Arkansas Sen. Tom Cotton announced Wednesday that U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York Jay Clayton’s confirmation hearing to be the next director of national intelligence has been postponed.

Trump stated on Truth Social Wednesday that Clayton’s nomination would not move forward until Jamie McDonald is approved to be the next attorney for the Southern District of New York. Cotton, who chairs the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, stated the hearing would be postponed after he initially planned to proceed with the hearing.

”It’s regrettable that the president has directed Jay Clayton not to appear at his confirmation hearing today,” Cotton said. “Mr. Clayton is a patriot and a highly qualified nominee, as the president has said repeatedly. While today’s hearing is now unfortunately postponed, I look forward to proceeding with his confirmation in the near future.”

Cotton initially planned to still go through with the scheduled hearing.

“Jay Clayton is a pending nominee before the Intelligence Committee. We will proceed with his hearing as scheduled unless the president directs him not to appear or withdraws his nomination,” Cotton said. (RELATED: Trump Halts Tulsi Replacement’s Nomination Until His Latest Demand Is Met)

Jay Clayton is a pending nominee before the Intelligence Committee. We will proceed with his hearing as scheduled unless the president directs him not to appear or withdraws his nomination.

— Tom Cotton (@SenTomCotton) June 17, 2026

The Senate scheduled Clayton’s hearing unusually early, reflecting pressure on the upper chamber to pass an extension of Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) that expired on June 12, which allows the government to conduct warrantless searches on American citizens’ data.

Senate Majority Leader John Thune told reporters the chamber will “take it a day at a time” until they get more clarity on Trump’s position on Clayton’s nomination. When asked why he thinks Trump is doing this, Thune replied, “Good question.”

Trump stated in the same statement that he would not support an extension of Section 702 unless the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) America Act was attached to it. He added that both parties agreed to remove U.S. Federal Housing Director Bill Pulte, who was slated to serve as acting DNI, as long as Section 702 was approved.

“The Republicans agreed with Dumocrats to remove very fair, and talented, William Pulte, from serving as Acting DNI in return for getting FISA approved by the Dumocrats. However, the Republicans moved so fast with the hearings of the Great Jay Clayton, current U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York, that Pulte would be gone before the Dumocrats would vote on FISA,” Trump wrote. “Now, the Dumocrats are saying they will vote against FISA — So, the Republicans wound up having fulfilled their commitment, but Dumocrats broke the Deal.”

Thune told reporters that the Senate would not attach the SAVE America Act to FISA, calling the move “unrealistic.”

Editor’s Note: This story has been updated to reflect that Cotton is no longer proceeding with Clayton’s confirmation hearing. 

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