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Senate lawmaker urges swift confirmation of Jay Clayton, links vote to restoring lapsed FISA 702 authority
Summary
A Senate lawmaker on the record urged colleagues to support Jay Clayton's nomination for director of national intelligence, saying the confirmation would help restore the lapsed Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act Section 702 program and that more briefing is needed on a reported Iran memorandum.
A Senate lawmaker urged colleagues to back Jay Clayton's nomination to be director of national intelligence and said Democratic cooperation this week would "unlock" a lapsed intelligence authority.
The lawmaker praised Clayton as "an eminently qualified individual to become the new director of national intelligence," listing "vision, experience, judgment, [and] competence" as reasons the Senate should act quickly. He told reporters that confirming Clayton would help revive the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act Section 702 program, which he described as "the most successful tool when it comes to keeping people and this country safe," and which he said is currently not authorized because Democrats blocked a bipartisan deal.
Why it matters: Section 702 authorizes certain targeted foreign intelligence collection used by U.S. agencies; lawmakers said its lapse is a pressing national-security issue tied by this lawmaker to the timing of the DNI confirmation.
In response to a question that cited a statute saying the DNI nominee should have an intelligence background, the questioner asked why an attorney qualifies. The lawmaker replied that U.S. attorneys "also deal with some intelligence matters" and that people who have worked with the nominee consider him "incredibly competent" and able to manage the job.
Reporters pressed for details about a reported memorandum of understanding related to Iran. The lawmaker said he expects more information will be forthcoming and declined to comment on specifics until he receives them. On military operations he asserted that many administration objectives have been met, saying, "we've destroyed I think the number is 161 ships," and added that whether Iran will return to regional negotiations remains to be seen.
The lawmaker said his office is requesting briefings and that he will withhold further judgment until he has the memorandum's details. A questioner closed by noting the nominee's confirmation hearing and markup scheduled in committee this week.
Next steps: The lawmaker said the committee will mark up the nomination and that a confirmation hearing is expected tomorrow; he urged Senate cooperation to allow an expeditious vote.
