Bill Pulte to Become Acting U.S. Spy Chief After Trump Calls Off Hearing for Nominee Jay Clayton

Bill Pulte to Become Acting U.S. Spy Chief After Trump Calls Off Hearing for Nominee Jay Clayton

President Trump called off a confirmation hearing for his pick to become the next U.S. spy chief on Wednesday, just hours before it was set to begin. The Senate Intelligence Committee had been scheduled to hear testimony from federal prosecutor Jay Clayton, Trump's pick to succeed Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, who steps down on Friday. But Trump said from the G7 summit he would stall Clayton's nomination and would refuse to sign an extension of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act allowing for expansive domestic surveillance, unless lawmakers first approve the SAVE America Act. Voting rights experts say the SAVE Act could disenfranchise millions of citizens who lack easy access to a required birth certificate or a passport in order to vote. Trump also demanded Senate approval of his personal defense attorney, Jamie McDonald, to replace Jay Clayton as the U.S. attorney in Manhattan. That means the director of the Federal Housing Finance Agency, Bill Pulte - a MAGA loyalist with no national security experience - will become acting director of national intelligence on Friday. Pulte has used his position as the top U.S. housing official to join Trump's campaign of retribution against his political enemies, making criminal referrals over claims of mortgage fraud. Pulte will now have access to the government's most closely guarded secrets across 18 U.S. intelligence agencies. He was opposed by a number of Republicans, as well as Democratic senators.