Trump Demands Deal Before Hearing Proceeds

State capitol building illuminated at night with a prominent dome

Democrats may have just blown up a critical national security program — and President Trump is fighting back by pulling the plug on his own intelligence chief’s confirmation hearing.

Story Snapshot

Trump canceled Jay Clayton’s Senate confirmation hearing for Director of National Intelligence, saying Democrats broke a deal on renewing a key spy program.
The expired program — Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) — lets U.S. agencies monitor foreign targets overseas. It has lapsed with no renewal in sight.
Trump added two conditions to move forward: the Senate must first confirm Jamie McDonald as U.S. Attorney, and any FISA renewal must include the SAVE America Act, a voter ID and election security bill.
Bill Pulte stays on as acting Director of National Intelligence while the standoff continues.

Trump Pulls the Plug on Clayton Hearing

President Trump posted on Truth Social just before 4 a.m. on Wednesday, announcing he was canceling Jay Clayton’s confirmation hearing. The Senate Intelligence Committee had Clayton scheduled to appear that afternoon. Trump said he won’t move forward on the hearing until Jamie McDonald is confirmed as U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York — Clayton’s current job. “We are cancelling the Senate Hearing RE: DNI today, and will not be going forward until Jamie McDonald is approved to be U.S. Attorney,” Trump wrote.^[1]

Trump made the announcement while attending the Group of Seven summit in France. Technically, only the Senate Intelligence Committee can cancel its own hearing. Committee Chair Tom Cotton had not yet officially told members the hearing was off, according to reporting from Politico. But senators expected Clayton would not show up, making the hearing a non-starter.^[6]

Democrats Accused of Breaking a Deal on FISA

At the center of the fight is Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA). This program allows U.S. intelligence agencies to collect communications of foreign targets located outside the country. It expired without renewal, partly because of Democratic opposition tied to Trump’s original acting Director of National Intelligence pick, Bill Pulte. Pulte drew criticism from both parties due to his lack of national security experience.^[9]

Trump says Republicans agreed to swap out Pulte in exchange for Democratic votes to renew FISA. Republicans moved fast to set up Clayton’s hearing — so fast, Trump says, that Pulte would have been gone before Democrats ever voted on FISA. Then Democrats announced they would vote against FISA anyway. “The Republicans wound up having fulfilled their commitment, but Dumocrats broke the Deal,” Trump wrote.^[1] Democrats have said their vote depends on how Clayton performs in a hearing — but there is now no hearing to hold.

Trump Ties FISA Renewal to Voter ID Law

Trump added a second demand on top of the McDonald confirmation. He said he will not support renewing FISA unless it is paired with the SAVE America Act. That bill would require proof of citizenship to register to vote and a photo ID at the polls. The Republican-led Congress has not yet passed the measure. It lacks enough support in both chambers, and renewing FISA requires 60 Senate votes — meaning Republicans, who hold 53 seats, need Democratic help.^[9]

He canceled the Senate DNI confirmation hearing for Jay Clayton, keeping Bill Pulte as acting Director of National Intelligence until Jamie McDonald is confirmed as U.S. Attorney.

— AMERICA FIRST NEWS🇺🇸 (@Americafirst278) June 17, 2026

Trump also said he is worried McDonald may not get confirmed due to Senate “blue slip” rules — a procedural tradition that lets home-state senators block U.S. Attorney nominees. “I don’t want to take Jay Clayton away from the great job he is doing until Jamie is in place,” Trump wrote.^[3] The standoff puts Senate Majority Leader John Thune in a tough spot. He must balance Trump’s demands against the limits of a thin Republican majority and Democratic obstruction on a program that most national security experts say is vital to protecting Americans.

President Trump blows up plans for new DNI. Says today’s confirmation hearing for nominee Jay Clayton is being canceled, doubles down on Bill Pulte as acting DNI. Says FISA extension needs to include SAVE Act.

— Mitchell Miller (@mmillerwtop) June 17, 2026