Jay Clayton faces Senate hearing for top US intelligence post
Why it matters: Democrats are tying his path to a fight over Bill Pulte’s temporary role and the expired FISA surveillance law.
Jay Clayton was set to appear before the Senate Intelligence Committee on Wednesday as President Donald Trump’s choice to lead the Office of the Director of National Intelligence. Clayton, the U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York and a former Securities and Exchange Commission chair, was tapped after Tulsi Gabbard resigned last month. The nomination landed in a broader Capitol Hill standoff after Trump named Federal Housing Finance Agency Director Bill Pulte as acting director. Democrats have said they will not help renew the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act powers that expired Friday unless Pulte is pulled and a permanent nominee is installed.