Trump Intelligence

Clayton, if confirmed, would replace Bill Pulte, whose position as acting intelligence chief has prompted outcryJay Clayton, the US attorney for the southern district of New York, will face senators on the intelligence committee Wednesday morning in a confirmation hearing to become the nation’s next intelligence chief.Clayton, if confirmed, would replace Bill Pulte, whom Donald Trump installed as acting director of national intelligence last month. Pulte’s position atop the American intelligence agencies has been deeply divisive on Capitol Hill, with members of both parties saying his background as the chair of a federal mortgage regulation agency is not enough experience for the job, and that Pulte’s unwavering loyalty to Trump and willingness to punish the president’s political enemies makes him a dangerous spy chief. Continue reading...

Firings come less than a week after US president appointed Bill Pulte as acting director after Tulsi Gabbard left the postSeveral staff members have reportedly been fired from the US office of the director of national intelligence (DNI), multiple outlets have reported. These firings come less than a week after Donald Trump appointed Bill Pulte as the acting director after former director Tulsi Gabbard left the post in late May.According to CNN, who was first to report the firings on Monday, political appointees with ties to Gabbard were among those purged. ABC News reported that cuts to the National Terrorism Center were expected to be particularly large. Continue reading...

Move will allow Trump’s controversial pick, Bill Pulte, to assume role and remain in place for at least several weeksSign up for the Breaking News US newsletter emailDonald Trump abruptly halted the confirmation process for Jay Clayton as the US’s top intelligence chief early Wednesday, in a move that will allow Trump’s controversial selection for acting director of national security, Bill Pulte, to assume the role and remain in place for at least several weeks until Clayton is confirmed.Trump pushed the Senate to confirm Clayton after his appointment of Pulte as acting director sparked bipartisan pushback and stalled his administration’s push for renewal of the controversial Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (Fisa). Continue reading...

US president had faced widespread criticism of his decision to install a controversial ally, Bill PulteDonald Trump has nominated Jay Clayton, former head of the top US markets watchdog, to be the country’s leading intelligence official.The US president faced widespread criticism of his decision to install a controversial ally, Bill Pulte, as acting director of National Intelligence while searching for a permanent candidate. Continue reading...

Lawmakers warn appointment of presidential loyalist will scuttle bipartisan agreement to renew Fisa surveillance lawDonald Trump is pushing ahead with his controversial plan to install political loyalist Bill Pulte as acting director of national intelligence, a move that has sparked bipartisan congressional backlash and imperiled the reauthorization of a powerful surveillance law set to expire at the end of this week.Trump’s Tuesday evening announcement came after he met earlier in the day with the House speaker, Mike Johnson, to discuss Pulte’s elevation to the role, which has prompted widespread concern over his complete lack of national security experience and the prospect that he could use the office’s spying powers to continue his campaign of targeting Trump’s perceived political enemies. Continue reading...

Seven Republican senators joined Democrats to block Fisa extension amid disquiet over nomination of Bill PulteUS politics live – latest updatesSeven Republican senators joined Democrats early on Friday to block the extension of a powerful government surveillance program, a rebuke to Donald Trump for choosing an inexperienced ally as the country’s top intelligence official.The renewal had been in question amid bipartisan concern over the US president’s appointment of Bill Pulte, a major Republican donor and heir to a home construction fortune, to serve as acting director of national intelligence. Continue reading...

Democrats say appointment of Bill Pulte could doom bipartisan agreement to renew section 702 of Foreign Intelligence Surveillance ActSign up for the Breaking News US newsletter emailDonald Trump’s appointment of a close political ally with no intelligence experience to lead the nation’s spy agencies has thrown last-ditch efforts to renew a critical surveillance program into doubt.Bill Pulte, currently head of the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA), major Republican donor and heir to a home construction fortune, was tapped by Trump to serve as acting director of national intelligence days after Tulsi Gabbard departed the role. Continue reading...