Trump backs short-term spy powers extension amid fight with Senate GOP over Pulte
Democrats and some Republicans say they will block renewal unless Trump drops Bill Pulte, risking a lapse in a surveillance tool used for foreign intelligence.
- President Donald Trump sought on Wednesday to break a congressional deadlock over renewing Section 702 surveillance powers but refused to withdraw his pick, Bill Pulte, as Acting Director of National Intelligence.
- Lawmakers oppose Pulte, a mortgage regulator with no national security experience, citing his past use of confidential data to investigate Trump's political adversaries.
- Intelligence experts warn a lapse in the Section 702 program would create critical gaps in foreign intelligence, especially as the United States hosts the World Cup and faces hostilities with Iran.
- With a 53-47 seat majority, Republicans need at least seven Democrats to extend the law, yet Democrats refuse to advance the bill while Pulte remains in line.
- Trump is interviewing permanent candidates, including former House Intelligence Committee chairman Pete Hoekstra, while the House prepares for an unlikely attempt to approve a short-term extension before Friday's midnight deadline.
74 Articles
74 Articles
Trump names SDNY chief Jay Clayton as DNI nominee after Pulte backlash
President Donald Trump named Jay Clayton, the U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York, as his nominee to replace Tulsi Gabbard as director of national intelligence, after a two-week furor over his plans to name federal housing chief Bill Pulte to the role. But the nomination likely comes too late to prevent a lapse on Friday of federal foreign surveillance authorities under Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, wh…
As Domestic Spying Renewal Stalls in Congress, Trump Pulls Plug on Pulte for DNI
After privacy advocates in Congress blocked proposed extensions of FISA Section 702, Trump announced he intends to nominate someone other than Bill Pulte as his next director of national intelligence.
Vote on Trump’s pick to replace Gabbard sparks GOP leader’s rage: ‘Live in infamy’
Senate Majority Leader John Thune could well end up the loser of Trump’s war with Democrats over Bill Pulte simply because House Speaker Mike Johnson is closer to the president, writes John Bowden
Republicans join Democrats to block spy law in major rebuke to Trump
Donald Trump doesn’t often lose votes in a Republican-controlled House. He just did. In a rare bipartisan rejection of the president’s wishes, House lawmakers voted Thursday to block an extension of one of the government’s most controversial surveillance programs, delivering an embarrassing setback to Trump and raising fresh concerns about his effort to place loyalists in key national security positions. The measure would have temporarily extend…
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