Trump Sabotages His Own DNI Nominee's Hearing, Holds National Security Hostage for a Voter ID Bill That Can't Pass — FISA Lapses for the First Time Ever

Trump blindsided Senate Republicans with an overnight Truth Social post from the G7 in France, ordering the cancellation of Jay Clayton's confirmation hearing as Director of National Intelligence — hours before it was scheduled to begin. His demands: (1) the Senate must first confirm Jamie McDonald, his pick to replace Clayton as U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York, and (2) Congress must attach his SAVE America Act voter ID bill to any FISA renewal. The result: FISA Section 702 — which provides 60% of the president's daily intelligence briefing — has lapsed for the first time since 2008; Bill Pulte, a housing official with zero national security experience who is under GAO investigation for weaponizing mortgage fraud allegations against Trump's critics, remains as acting DNI; and the qualified, bipartisan-backed nominee sits idle. Sen. Cotton initially said he'd proceed with the hearing anyway, then reversed. GOP Sen. Cramer: "Frankly, I was disappointed again." Thune acknowledged the SAVE Act "doesn't have the votes." Schumer: "Trump is holding our national security hostage." Homeland Security Secretary Mullin warned the threat level is "the highest it's ever been" — during the FIFA World Cup and Freedom 250 celebrations — while the president insists a surveillance program he calls essential cannot be renewed unless Congress passes a voting bill the Senate cannot pass.

On the morning of June 17, hours before his nominee for Director of National Intelligence was scheduled to appear before the Senate Intelligence Committee, the president posted to Truth Social from the G7 summit in France and blew it up.

What Trump demanded

Trump's overnight post made three demands:

Cancel the Clayton hearing: "We are cancelling the Senate Hearing RE: DNI today"
Confirm McDonald first: The hearing "will not be going forward until Jamie McDonald is approved to be U.S. Attorney" for the Southern District of New York — the job Clayton currently holds
Attach the SAVE Act to FISA: Trump said he would not support renewing FISA Section 702 unless Congress also passes his SAVE America Act, a voter ID bill requiring proof of citizenship to vote

He added that Bill Pulte — a housing official with no national security experience — would remain as acting DNI.

What he sabotaged

Jay Clayton is a former SEC chairman and current U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York. Unlike many Trump nominees, he had bipartisan support. Senate Majority Leader Thune's team had spent weeks building a careful path to confirm him quickly. The hearing was set. The votes were there.

Then Trump posted.

Intelligence Committee Chairman Tom Cotton (R-AR) initially pushed back, saying the committee would proceed "unless the president directs him not to appear or withdraws his nomination." By afternoon, Cotton reversed course, announcing the "regrettable" decision that Trump had directed Clayton not to appear.

GOP Sen. Kevin Cramer (R-ND), a Trump ally:

"Frankly, I was disappointed again that while Sen. Thune has very meticulously and skillfully managed a process that ends up with another Trump victory gets upended by an impulsive post of some sort."

FISA Section 702 — lapsed

Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act expired on June 12 after a House vote to extend it failed 198-218. It is the first time the program has lapsed since it began in 2008.

What Section 702 does:

Allows U.S. intelligence agencies to collect information on non-U.S. persons abroad
Provides more than 60% of the president's daily intelligence briefing
Is described by intelligence officials as the single most important foreign surveillance tool

Trump's own Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin warned the threat level is "the highest it's ever been" — citing the ongoing FIFA World Cup and Freedom 250 celebrations — and cautioned that actions that normally take hours will now take days without 702.

Trump said he won't support renewing it unless Congress attaches the SAVE America Act. Senate Majority Leader Thune acknowledged the SAVE Act "doesn't have the votes" — it would need 60 votes and Democrats plan to kill it. Trump is conditioning the renewal of the nation's most critical surveillance program on a bill that cannot pass.

Who is Bill Pulte

With Clayton's hearing canceled, Bill Pulte remains as acting Director of National Intelligence. His qualifications:

Director of the Federal Housing Finance Agency — a housing regulator
Zero national security experience
Zero intelligence community experience
Zero military experience
Trump said Pulte would simultaneously continue running FHFA and chairing Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac while serving as acting DNI

What Pulte is known for:

Weaponizing mortgage fraud allegations against Trump's political opponents — including Sen. Adam Schiff, New York AG Letitia James, and Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook
The GAO opened an investigation into whether Pulte and FHFA employees misused their authority in making criminal referrals
Firing Fannie Mae's chief ethics officer, general counsel, and acting inspector general after they raised concerns
His own family faces similar mortgage fraud allegations — his father and stepmother claimed homestead exemptions in both Michigan and Florida

Thune: "We don't need a weaponized DNI, we need professionals there."

Schumer: Pulte is "a partisan thug with no experience in intelligence."

Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME) questioned whether Pulte even has a security clearance.

Democrats have vowed not to vote to reauthorize Section 702 as long as Pulte is serving as acting DNI — meaning the surveillance program Trump says he wants renewed cannot be renewed as long as the person he installed is in charge of it.

The hostage chain

Follow the logic:

Tulsi Gabbard resigned as DNI (her husband was diagnosed with bone cancer)
Trump appointed Bill Pulte as acting DNI — a housing official under GAO investigation
Under bipartisan pressure, Trump nominated Jay Clayton — a qualified, confirmable choice
The Senate Intelligence Committee scheduled Clayton's hearing
Trump canceled the hearing hours before it was to begin
His condition: confirm Jamie McDonald as U.S. Attorney first
His second condition: attach the SAVE Act (voter ID) to FISA renewal
The SAVE Act cannot pass the Senate
Therefore FISA cannot be renewed
Therefore Clayton cannot be confirmed
Therefore Pulte remains as DNI
Therefore Democrats won't vote for FISA

Every link in the chain makes the next problem worse. The president created a deadlock in which his own intelligence apparatus is degraded because he wants a voter ID bill attached to a surveillance renewal that he is simultaneously preventing by blocking the nominee who would make the renewal politically viable.

The Democratic response

Sen. Chuck Schumer:

"Trump is holding our national security hostage to serve his own personal interests."

Senate Democrats held a press conference with a sign reading "Trump's Hostage Note" — framing the president's Truth Social post as a ransom demand with national security as the collateral.

What this means

The nation's top intelligence post is being held by a housing official who investigates the president's enemies' mortgages. The program that provides 60% of the daily intelligence briefing has lapsed for the first time ever. The qualified replacement is sitting idle because the president wants a voter ID bill that his own party leader says can't pass. The threat level is at its highest during a global sporting event and the president's own birthday celebration on the White House lawn.

And the president posted this from the G7 in France, blindsiding his own party's Senate leadership, hours before a hearing they had spent weeks preparing.