WATCH LIVE: Senate holds confirmation hearing for Jay Clayton despite Trump pressure to delay

By — Eric Tucker, Associated Press Eric Tucker, Associated Press By — Mary Clare Jalonick, Associated Press Mary Clare Jalonick, Associated Press By — Aamer Madhani, Associated Press Aamer Madhani, Associated Press By — Darlene Superville, Associated Press Darlene Superville, Associated Press Leave your feedback Share Copy URL https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/watch-live-senate-holds-confirmation-hearing-for-jay-clayton-despite-trump-pressure-to-delay Email Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Pinterest Tumblr Share on Facebook Share on Twitter WATCH LIVE: Senate holds confirmation hearing for Jay Clayton despite Trump pressure to delay Politics Jun 17, 2026 11:05 AM EDT WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump said Wednesday that he was delaying federal prosecutor Jay Clayton's nomination to lead the U.S. intelligence community in a bid to force Congress to act on a voter ID bill that currently lacks enough support for passage, but a key senator said he'd push forward with a hearing. The Senate Intelligence Committee is scheduled to hold a confirmation hearing at 2 p.m. Watch live in our video player above. The chairman of the Senate intelligence committee, Tom Cotton of Arkansas, said he planned to proceed with Wednesday's confirmation hearing unless Trump orders Clayton to not appear or withdraws the nomination. READ MORE: Trump delays Clayton's nomination for intelligence director to try to push Congress on voter ID bill The Republican president said in a social media post just hours before the hearing that he will keep Bill Pulte, a top U.S. housing official, as acting director of national intelligence. Democratic and Republican lawmakers had opposed Trump's selection of Pulte, citing his lack of known experience in intelligence and his use of his current administration perch to target perceived adversaries of the president — resistance that last week forced Trump to turn to Clayton. Educate your inbox Subscribe to Here’s the Deal, our politics newsletter for analysis you won’t find anywhere else. The abrupt announcement creates instant uncertainty over the long-term leadership of the 18-agency intelligence community and dashes hopes for a swift renewal of a crucial surveillance program that expired in Congress last week due to bipartisan anger over Trump's pick of Pulte. That tool, Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, permits spy agencies to collect without a warrant the communications of targeted foreigners located outside the United States. National security officials across both major political parties have for years described Section 702 as vital for gathering intelligence that can disrupt terror attacks and espionage operations, though some lawmakers and civil liberties advocates have raised concerns over the government's use of information about Americans that is incidentally collected through the program. READ MORE: What to know about Jay Clayton, Trump's nominee for director of national intelligence Clayton had been se