After President Donald Trump unexpectedly derailed a scheduled Senate confirmation hearing for Jay Clayton, the nominee to serve as director of national intelligence, a reporter pressed Senate Majority Leader John Thune to explain what he believed had motivated the president’s decision.
“Good question,” Thune replied.
An early-morning Truth Social post from Trump—in which the president said he would not move forward with Clayton’s nomination until the Senate approves Jamie McDonald, his pick to replace Clayton as the U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York—upended Thune’s plans to swiftly confirm Trump’s nominee for a key national-security post.
