Trump administration keeps Bill Pulte in acting DNI role as Clayton nomination stalls

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Trump keeps Pulte as acting DNI

Highlights

Trump withholds Clayton's confirmation for intelligence chief, demanding Senate pass voter ID and confirm James McDonald as U.S. Attorney first.
Bill Pulte remains acting DNI despite bipartisan criticism over his lack of intelligence experience and concerns about use of the post as legislative leverage.
Potential delays in authorizing Section 702 and extending the FISA program arise, as Democrats oppose both Pulte's role and Trump's legislative strategy.

Senate standoff delays intelligence appointment

As first reported by CNBC, Trump blocks the Senate from moving forward with Clayton's confirmation hearing while tying the nomination to broader demands on election legislation and another Justice Department appointment.

The president says he will not sign an extension of a key national security program unless it includes passage of a voter ID and proof of citizenship bill, and he also says the Senate must confirm James McDonald as U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York before Clayton can be approved for the intelligence post.

The move leaves Pulte, who leads the Federal Housing Finance Agency, in line to gain access to some of the most sensitive U.S. intelligence despite bipartisan concern over his lack of national intelligence experience. Trump tapped Pulte earlier this month after Tulsi Gabbard resigned in May, then later said he would nominate Clayton following backlash from Congress.

Senate Majority Leader John Thune says Trump is "very committed to Bill Pulte," while also acknowledging the unusual nature of slowing a nomination. Vice President JD Vance, asked about the weak prospects for the election bill in the Senate, says lawmakers should still force a vote rather than assume it cannot pass.

Security and political risks draw bipartisan criticism

Democrats and Republicans are questioning both the effect on national security and the strategy of using the intelligence post as leverage in a wider legislative fight. Democrats are vowing to oppose any extension of the FISA program while Pulte remains Trump's pick, and it remains unclear whether enough Republican senators support the election bill Trump is demanding.

Sen. Mark Warner calls Pulte a "national security threat" and accuses Trump of treating national security like a political bargaining chip. Sen. Thom Tillis says Clayton had been close to a strong hearing and possibly Democratic support, but now the dispute could jeopardize reauthorization of Section 702.

Lawmakers also cite Pulte's conduct at the housing agency, where he has initiated probes into Trump opponents over alleged mortgage fraud, as a reason for concern about his fitness for the intelligence role. Sen. Bill Cassidy urges Trump to let Clayton appear before the Senate Intelligence Committee, warning that further delay puts American lives at risk.

Trump, however, signals he is willing to keep the nomination frozen for an extended period, saying from the G7 summit in Evian-les-Bains, France, that the delay can last "as long as it takes" while he pushes for other approvals.

Our earlier coverage followed the Senate Judiciary Committee’s push to advance multiple judicial and prosecutorial nominations, alongside bills on courtroom transparency and AI-generated likeness protections, amid rising procedural friction. That article also highlighted Sen. Chuck Grassley’s warning that breakdowns in the Senate’s “blue slip” tradition—particularly around New York vacancies—are intensifying confirmation gridlock and spilling into related fights over key administration appointments.

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