Trump's DNI pick clears key hurdle, reviving path for nation's top anti-terror surveillance program

By Fox News · Fox News

Senate Republicans quietly advanced President Donald Trump’s pick to run the nation’s intelligence agencies and placed Congress back on a path to restart a crucial counterterrorism tool. Senate Intelligence Committee Chair Tom Cotton, R-Ark., revealed that the panel voted U.S. Attorney Jay Clayton out of committee in a 9-8 vote during a closed-door session. That tees up a later confirmation vote for Clayton to serve as the Director of National Intelligence (DNI). "Jay Clayton is a highly qualified nominee with a deep experience combatting a wide range of national security threats," Cotton said. "I’m pleased that the Senate Intelligence Committee voted to advance his nomination to be Director of National Intelligence." TRUMP'S DNI PICK JAY CLAYTON LOCKS HORNS WITH DEMOCRATIC SENATOR IN FIERY CONFIRMATION HEARING CLASH The role was previously vacated by former DNI Tulsi Gabbard and then hastily filled on an interim basis by Trump with Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) Director Bill Pulte, who Democrats railed against as an unqualified loyalist who would weaponize the intelligence community against the president’s enemies. Clayton, who served as chair of the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) during Trump’s first term, ended up becoming a victim of the political firestorm that surrounded Pulte. SENATE PUSH TO REAUTHORIZE NATION’S SPY POWERS STUMBLES OVER CONTROVERSIAL TRUMP DECISION His first hearing was derailed by Trump, who demanded that the Senate confirm his replacement for the Southern District in New York and attach the SAVE America Act to must-pass legislation to reauthorize a key surveillance tool that has been inactive since June. Clayton will now face a full confirmation vote in the Senate, where several Senate Democrats previously voted for him to be SEC chair. TRUMP'S DNI PICK WILL HAVE TO WAIT FOR HIS CONFIRMATION HEARING AFTER TRUTH SOCIAL BOMB But his hearing was dominated by questions about whether he would admit that former President Joe Bi…