DNI CHAOS: Trump forces Jay Clayton hearing delay leaving Intelligence pick in limbo

[0:00] There are new developments surrounding the president's pick to become the next director [0:04] of national intelligence. Because Jay Clayton was scheduled to appear at a Senate confirmation [0:08] hearing yesterday. And then President Trump instructed him not to attend. That's because [0:13] the president is angry at Republicans for working with Democrats on a bipartisan push to extend a [0:18] key government spying program known as FISA. The president is also furious at Republicans for [0:23] bulking at his effort to fundamentally change how Americans register to vote. That means Bill [0:28] Pulte, a close ally of the president with no intelligence or national security experience, [0:33] appears set to take over as acting director of national intelligence, despite objections from [0:38] both sides of the aisle. Let's bring in MSNOW congressional reporter Michael Schnell. [0:43] Michael, this is, to put it in a professional term, absolutely messy. What was the reaction [0:49] on Capitol Hill yesterday? Because this happened during, even before we came on the air for way [0:54] too early, the president throwing out a truth social post and saying, actually, I don't think [0:58] that we want to do the Jay Clayton hearing today anymore. And your reaction over text when I said [1:02] it to you was, whoa. So what was the rest of the day like? Yeah, well, initially, Allie, [1:08] lawmakers, senators were just waking up to this. So when they first learned of it, they were like, [1:12] wait, what? Is that for real? Am I sure about that? They were completely blindsided by this. [1:16] This was not something that Republican senators had gotten a heads up about. In fact, Republican [1:21] senators, Democratic senators were gung ho on moving forward with this Clayton hearing. [1:25] The idea here was that there was going to be the confirmation hearing yesterday afternoon [1:30] within a vote in committee today. And even potentially likely even a vote on final confirmation [1:36] later today. Democrats were willing to give consent to that because they wanted to try to [1:42] fast track this confirmation to get him through, to get Jay Clayton through by the end of the day today [1:47] to prevent Bill Pulte from taking the reins of the acting DNI job tomorrow. Remember, [1:52] this is somebody, as you mentioned, who has no intelligence experience, also somebody who [1:56] Democrats are very concerned could potentially use his access to the nation's most top secrets and [2:03] most sensitive intelligence to use it in a political way against the president's opponents. [2:08] So after the shock aspect had worn off from lawmakers on Capitol Hill, including Republicans, [2:12] they weren't happy about this. I mean, I spoke to Tom Tillis yesterday. He called this an [2:17] unforced error. I spoke to Tom, you know, Tom Cotton wrote on X that this was a regrettable [2:22] decision. I spoke to Todd Young, who's a member of the Senate Intelligence Committee, which of course [2:27] has jurisdiction over this. He called this inconvenient. Jerry Moran said that this was not the desired [2:32] outcome of the Senate. The desired outcome was have this hearing, get him confirmed and prevent [2:36] Pulte from ever taking the acting DNI job. So there was the shock value. And then there was like the, [2:42] well, why is this happening? And hey, this isn't actually good for anybody. And it just is the [2:47] latest example of president Trump, just completely undercutting Republicans, especially Senate [2:52] Republicans. And they're starting to get real frustrated about it. Well, I was going to say, [2:56] because we started the week, it's, it's only Thursday. I mean, we're almost at the end of the [3:01] week, but we started the week with a piece from you saying Republicans were already feeling frustrated [3:06] by the way that Trump just sort of is dropping little bombs in their path and complicating things that [3:12] could be legislatively or procedurally easy. For example, putting the Jay Clayton nomination [3:18] up within days of Trump saying, this is who I want to be the permanent director of national [3:22] intelligence. Republicans and Democrats thought, okay, we're actually doing a thing that helps us [3:27] accomplish the goal of reauthorizing FISA. And also Republicans got a chance to confirm a presidential [3:34] pick in what could have been under a week. I mean, they thought they were doing it right. And the [3:37] president just kind of came in at a left field and once again, scuttled the whole thing. [3:42] Yeah. We talk a lot about the phrase on an own goal, Ali. This was completely an own goal, [3:46] why Republicans? And as to your point, it's just the latest in a string of examples. President [3:50] rolled out that anti-weaponization fund. It thwarted their immigration enforcement bill. Then the [3:55] president said that he was announcing Bill Pulte. Well, then it thwarted this FISA reauthorization. [3:59] I think this is something also that gets lost in the shuffle when we talk about this issue. [4:03] But FISA, Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, is probably the most important [4:09] national security tool that the U.S. government has. It allows them to spy on individuals who [4:14] are located outside of the U.S. The information that's gathered from FISA makes up for about two [4:19] thirds of the information in President Trump's daily intelligence brief. It's helped thwart a number [4:24] of terrorist attacks in the United States. And national security officials and Democrats and Republicans [4:28] are particularly concerned that this key tool is dark during a time when FIFA is happening in the [4:34] United States, during a time when America 250 events are coming up. So, you know, remove the [4:38] practical impacts of this. But politically speaking, it's making life really difficult for Senate [4:45] Republicans. And I talked to one House Republican last week who said it seems like folks in the White [4:49] House sit around a table and try to think about the worst possible time to announce a decision [4:54] or roll out a new project. And then they do it at that moment. Republicans really don't exactly know [5:00] why the president is doing this. Some people think that he doesn't actually think about the impacts [5:05] it has on Capitol Hill and he just wants to get done what he wants to get done when he wants to get [5:09] done. I spoke to another House Republican who said this is President Trump trying to chip away [5:13] at the legislative branch and give the executive branch more power. However way you want to cut it [5:18] and however way you see it, the through line here is that Republicans are frustrated. President Trump [5:23] is making it way harder for them to do their goal. And instead of picking fights with Democrats, he [5:28] seems to be picking fights with members of his own party. Okay, but let's live in the world where that [5:33] one Republican member is right. And the goal of this from the president's perspective is to chip away [5:38] at the power of the legislative branch, which let's be honest, the legislative branch has made pretty [5:42] easy for them over the course of the past year and a half. Does this mean that there is finally an [5:47] inflection point where Congress says, no, this is actually our power. We're going to start taking [5:51] it back on whatever front we're talking about here. There could be. I mean, we're certainly in [5:56] a fertile ground right now. Because they haven't done it yet, right? No, they have not done it yet. [5:59] We've teetered about it. They've come close to it. But as you like to say, Ali, we haven't really [6:03] seen many of those profiles encouraged to this point. I mean, we are at a moment right now, which if [6:08] there was any time to do it, these Republicans would speak out. We're past the primary season. So we're no [6:13] longer at the point. We talk about this a lot, that it's way different running in a Republican [6:17] primary versus running in a general election. With the primary, you're gunning for those [6:21] conservative voters. The president's endorsement is key. A general, you're trying to vie for more [6:26] of those independent voters. So certainly in the election calendar, we're in a spot where it could [6:30] happen. Also, the president is nearing a moment where he's going to be a lame duck. And also, this is [6:35] hitting folks where it hurts. When we talk about FISA, it's a key national security tool. Director of [6:39] National Intelligence, it's an important role in the government. It was the top recommendation from [6:44] the 9-11 Commission. And then Iran, for example, gas prices, it's hitting them where it hurts with [6:49] their constituents. If there was ever a moment, it would be this one. Will it happen? Your guess is [6:54] as good as mine. Yeah. On the national security piece, too, FISA re-auths and the DNI conversation that [7:00] was happening, these were happening in bipartisan fashions here, right? You had Democrats and Republicans [7:04] pushing for this reauthorization. It's not one of those clean party line splits when it comes to [7:09] a policy on Capitol Hill. You've been tracking all of it. MSNOW congressional reporter Michael [7:13] Schnell, I have a feeling this thread still has many different ways to unspool. So we'll keep [7:19] track of it when we all are on the Hill. Thank you, as always. Thanks, Ali.