Senate Majority Leader John Thune told reporters on Thursday that he will work to confirm President Donald Trump\u2019s nominee for director of national intelligence as quickly as possible.<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t know what realistic is, but we\u2019re gonna probe the limits of it,\u201d said the South Dakota Republican, per Roll Call.<\/p>\n
Trump announced Thursday afternoon that he intends to nominate Jay Clayton, who currently serves as U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York, for the position.<\/p>\n
The Senate Intelligence Committee moved quickly, scheduling a confirmation hearing for Wednesday and a committee business meeting for Thursday, Roll Call reported.<\/p>\n
Trump also tapped Bill Pulte to serve as acting director beginning June 19, current Director Tulsi Gabbard\u2019s last day.<\/p>\n
Gabbard announced last month she would be stepping down to care for her husband who has a rare bone cancer.<\/p>\n
The decision to appoint Clayton further hardened Democratic opposition to extending Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, even on a temporary basis.<\/p>\n
The authority will now lapse heading into the weekend.<\/p>\n
Thune noted that Clayton \u201chas been through the process obviously before.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSo, my assumption is at least that if we can get the nomination and the paperwork here, we can move fairly quickly,\u201d Thune said.<\/p>\n
During Trump\u2019s first term, the Senate confirmed Clayton by a 61-37 vote to serve as chairman of the Securities and Exchange Commission.<\/p>\n
His nomination to become U.S. attorney, however, stalled in the Senate last year before he was ultimately appointed to the post by a federal court, Roll Call added.<\/p>\n
Senate Intelligence Committee Chairman Tom Cotton praised the selection, calling Clayton \u201can excellent choice\u201d in a post on social media.<\/p>\n
\u201cIn his service to the people of New York, Mr. Clayton has deep experience combatting a wide range of national security threats,\u201d Cotton wrote. \u201cThe Senate Intelligence Committee will quickly process his nomination.\u201d<\/p>\n
Trump on Thursday confirmed that Pulte \u201cwill serve for a short run\u201d until Clayton is approved by the Senate. \u201cHe\u2019s only there for a little while. He\u2019s running it for a short while, when we get a very talented person, Jay Clayton.<\/p>\n
Democrats voiced concerns about Pulte\u2019s lack of intelligence or national security experience. Pulte currently serves as director of the Federal Housing Finance Agency and chairman of mortgage giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.<\/p>\n
Critics have also pointed to his efforts to refer several Democrats to the Justice Department over alleged mortgage fraud.<\/p>\n
Sen. Mark Warner, D-Va., the top Democrat on the Senate Intelligence Committee, said while he is \u201cglad to see the president finally come to his senses, before the Senate can take up a FISA extension there needs to be a clear guarantee that Mr. Pulte will not serve as acting DNI.\u201d<\/p>\n