Senate Moving Heaven And Earth To Confirm Trump’s DNI Pick As Warrantless Spy Powers Sit On Ice

The Senate moved unusually fast to schedule the confirmation hearing for President Donald Trump’s new nominee for the director of national intelligence.

Trump nominated Jay Clayton to permanently serve in the role after Democrats rebuked the temporary nomination of Director of U.S. Federal Housing Bill Pulte. The Senate scheduled Clayton’s confirmation hearing for Wednesday, reflecting the political pressure on the chamber as they are fighting to pass the extension of Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA), which expires Friday at midnight.

Many lawmakers opposed Pulte’s nomination due to his lack of national security experience and were concerned he would use the position to target his political opponents, jeopardizing further action from lawmakers on key pieces of legislation.

The House failed to pass a temporary extension of Section 702 in a 198 to 218 vote, with 19 Republicans joining most Democrats in voting against it. If it had passed, Section 702 — which allows the federal government to surveil foreign targets without a warrant —would have been extended to July 2 as lawmakers debated a longterm extension. While expressly intended to be used against foreigners, the section has been invoked to surveil American citizens’ communications.

On average, it has taken multiple months for the U.S. Senate to confirm cabinet level nominees during the past several presidential administrations, according to the Center for Presidential Transition.