Fox News correspondent Mark Meredith has the latest on the breaking news from the White House on 'America Reports.'
Former Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) chairman Walter "Jay" Clayton will face senators at an expectedly tense confirmation hearing to become the director of national intelligence Wednesday.
The forum comes amid Democrats’ weeks-long uproar over President Donald Trump’s temporary pick for the job – homebuilder scion and Federal Housing Finance Agency Director Bill Pulte.
Clayton is currently serving as the U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York, which is considered the most prominent of the dozens of national posts – with alumni ranging from Rudy Giuliani to Preet Bharara.
TRUMP NOMINATES JAY CLAYTON, FORMER SEC CHAIRMAN, CURRENT US ATTORNEY, AS INTELLIGENCE DIRECTOR
Jay Clayton, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York, speaks next to Jessica S. Tisch, New York Police Department commissioner, during a press conference at NYPD headquarters following the arrest of suspects charged with igniting IEDs near Gracie Mansion, the home of New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, in New York City on March 9, 2026. (Brendan McDermid/Reuters)
Sen. Mark Kelly, D-Ariz., a top Trump critic – expressed to reporters Tuesday that concerns over Pulte could actually help push Clayton through following his Intelligence Committee appearance.
"[I] would love to hear some reassurance from the White House that Bill Pulte is not going to take over as DNI, even for a very short period of time, but that I don't anticipate that coming," he said.
Kelly said that Pulte looming over the intelligence community might be an "incentive" to move Clayton through "on a faster timeline."
Democrats have accused Pulte of playing politics with his powers at FHFA and worry that his lack of intel credentials and alleged partisanship endanger the role of DNI.
