Senate clears way for Trump's top spy as key anti-terror program remains in limbo

President Donald Trump’s prime to tally nan nation’s intelligence agencies is 1 measurement person to clinching nan job, and puts the Senate ever-closer to jump-starting a cardinal counter-terrorism instrumentality successful nan process.

The Senate precocious Jay Clayton done a cardinal hurdle Monday nighttime to beryllium nan adjacent Director of National Intelligence (DNI). It comes aft erstwhile DNI Tulsi Gabbard’s abrupt exit from nan position to attraction for her cancer-stricken husband.

The mostly partisan ballot to move Clayton, who formerly chaired nan Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) during Trump’s first term, comes aft he narrowly squeaked retired nan Senate Intelligence Committee connected a 9 to 8 vote.

TRUMP'S DNI PICK CLEARS KEY HURDLE, REVIVING PATH FOR NATION'S TOP ANTI-TERROR SURVEILLANCE PROGRAM

United States lawyer for nan Southern District of New York Jay Clayton, nominee to beryllium head of nationalist intelligence, testifies during his confirmation proceeding pinch nan Senate Intelligence Committee astatine nan Dirksen Senate Office Building successful Washington, D.C., connected July 15, 2026. (Anadolu via Getty Images)

Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., challenged Democrats to support Clayton during nan broader, last vote, but expected them to defy arsenic they person pinch respective different Trump nominees done his 2nd term.

"One mightiness deliberation that we'd beryllium seeing immoderate bipartisanship from Democrats connected this nominee," Thune said. "But Democrats are playing nan aforesaid partisan games pinch this qualified nominee arsenic they person for truthful galore of President Trump's picks."

"It's a funny point because Democrats person made nary concealed of their disdain for nan existent acting Director of … National intelligence," he continued. "In fact, Democrats were truthful worked up complete nan president's impermanent prime for this position, they allowed our nation's astir important counterterrorism tool to spell acheronian for nan first clip ever."

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The Senate will now ballot connected confirmation Tuesday, putting an extremity headdress connected an arduous process to switch Gabbard. When she announced her exit from nan position, Trump hastily installed Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) Director Bill Pulte to lead nan nation’s 18 intelligence agencies successful nan interim.

That came arsenic nan Senate was nearing a ballot connected a bipartisan woody to support nan nation’s apical counter-terrorism tool, Section 702 of nan Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA), moving up of its expiration.

But Democrats, who railed against Pulte and accused him of being an unqualified loyalist who would weaponize nan intelligence organization against nan president’s enemies and effort to dismantle it, walked distant from nan woody aft Trump torpedoed Clayton’s antecedently scheduled confirmation hearing.

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Acting Director of National Intelligence Bill Pulte attends a kick-off ceremony for nan "Great American State Fair" connected nan National Mall successful Washington, DC, June 24, 2026. (Jemal COUNTESS / AFP via Getty Images)

Less than 24 hours earlier Clayton's penultimate test, Pulte announced connected X that he had completed his 4th information of layoffs arsenic DNI.

"Since becoming Acting Director of National Intelligence, our squad has been smartly, and carefully, reducing nan size of ODNI, re-focusing ODNI connected nationalist security, nan law, and nan statute," Pulte said. "As of this evening, we conscionable vanished a 4th information of thoughtful, measured layoffs. Thank you!"

The Section 702 programme has since been steadily going dark, pinch caller authorizations caught successful a ineligible void until lawmakers reauthorize nan programme that has been utilized to thwart deadly panic attacks, including halting a mass-casualty panic crippled astatine a Taylor Swift show successful Vienna, Austria.

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Last week, only Republicans connected nan sheet voted Clayton retired of committee aft he grounded to fulfill Senate Democrats’ questioning connected who won nan 2020 election, his knowledge of Gabbard’s ambush connected nan Fulton County, Georgia predetermination offices, and subpoenas against New York Times reporters that his were submitted by him successful his domiciled arsenic nan apical charismatic successful New York’s Southern District.

Those subpoenas were voluntarily withdrawn by nan Department of Justice past week, 2 days aft Clayton was confirmed by nan panel.