Republican begs Trump to stop putting 'lives at risk' with petty delay tactic

President Donald Trump attends the 56th annual World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos, Switzerland, January 21, 2026. REUTERS/Romina Amato

A Republican lawmaker is begging President Donald Trump to stop delaying the confirmation hearing of a key Cabinet appointment, per The Hill, warning that the petty tactic is "putting American lives at risk."

Trump this week called off the scheduled Senate Intelligence Committee hearing for Jay Clayton, his latest nominee for Director of National Intelligence. Clayton would succeed Tulsi Gabbard in the position, and comes after Trump initially nominated loyalist Bill Pulte to the role, sparking widespread bipartisan derision over his lack of qualifications.

The cancellation of the Wednesday hearing came in the form of an abrupt middle-of-the-night Truth Social post that left many in the GOP stunned and confused. As an NPR report detailed, "Trump said the plan to quickly approve Clayton was part of a deal with Democrats to derail his previous, temporary pick, Bill Pulte, who has no intelligence experience and has been criticized as a political attack dog for the president." Trump also demanded that one of his biggest obsessions be pushed forward, despite Republicans repeatedly stressing that it was doomed to fail.

"He went on to say he is demanding that reauthorization of the surveillance tool known as FISA Section 702 must be tied to passage of the SAVE America ACT, a GOP voting bill that would require voters to show a document proving their U.S. citizenship, like a passport or a birth certificate, when they register to vote," NPR explained. "The legislation failed in the Senate earlier this month."

Republicans have implored the president to back off from this issue, citing the need to pass a bill extending the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act’s (FISA) Section 702 expanded authorities, which allows the federal government to spy on foreign individuals without a warrant. Democrats previously pulled their support for the bill over Pulte's nomination, but have signaled that they would support it once Clayton is confirmed.

In a post to X highlighted by The Hill on Thursday, GOP Sen. Bill Cassidy pleaded with the president, and argued that letting the FISA extension languish was putting Americans in danger.

“Democrats have been blocking FISA in bad faith, but confirming Jay Clayton would allow for a quicker resolution," Cassidy wrote in the post. "Mr. President, by preventing Jay Clayton from testifying before the Senate Intelligence Committee, it puts American lives at risk. Put America first. Don’t stop Jay Clayton from coming before the Intel Committee."

"Republicans were furious over Trump’s surprise decision to cancel Clayton’s appearance because it will delay action on any deal with Democrats to renew the FISA authorities that expired on June 12," The Hill noted in its report.

"I was surprised. I was looking forward to the hearing and the opportunity to ask some questions of Mr. Clayton," Maine Republican Sen. Susan Collins said. "He has been praised by members of both sides of the aisle. I’m concerned that this slows down the renewal of FISA, which is vital for our national security."

“We’ll never get Section 702 confirmed while people think [Pulte] is at the helm,” North Carolina Republican Sen. Thom Tillis said. “This is not hard.”

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