Caffeinated Politics

Needless to say, we can be proud of the work by Congressional Democrats and some Republicans, and of the outcome it is producing regarding the need for a new head of DNI. Effective professional men and women with established resumes of expertise must be the only acceptable heads of the vital departments of our national government. Over the past year, we have witnessed what happens when that basic expectation is tossed aside. So, when housing official Bill Pulte was named the acting national intelligence chief, following the ouster of Russian-friendly Tulsi Gabbard, a resounding chorus of disapproval was heard on Capitol Hill.

Pressure was building on Donald Trump to name a credible DNI nominee after he selected Pulte. Trump explicitly stated that his pick for DNI was so he could look into discredited claims that the 2020 election was “rigged.” Helping move the needle today was the House’s failure to extend a key surveillance law (FISA), effectively ensuring it will expire Friday night, despite warnings from Republican lawmakers and national security officials. (For the record, I have and continue to hold nuanced views of FISA. This spring, I read much about Congressional investigations by the Church and Pike Committees revealed in 1976 that the FBI, CIA, and NSA had illegally spied on civil rights and anti-war advocates for decades based on tenuous and dubious claims of Soviet influence. Invisible Bridge by Rick Perlstein. I have had a bottom line on a stronger warrant-requirement process for backdoor searches. Congress should close legal loopholes that intelligence agencies exploit to gain warrantless access to Americans’ Fourth Amendment-protected information.

This afternoon, Trump announced Jay Clayton, former SEC chair and current U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York, to be the DNI nominee.

Democrats and a handful of Republicans who took to the microphones by standing up to Trump still remember what national security is supposed to look like. Give these men and women real credit for holding up the FISA reauthorization long enough to force the Trump administration to cough up a serious nominee for Director of National Intelligence. The delay is not an obstruction for obstruction’s sake; it was raw political leverage. Hardball politics 101.

By refusing to rubber‑stamp a surveillance bill while the DNI post risked being filled by another acting partisan hack with more political instincts than intelligence experience, Democrats effectively insisted on competence over chaos. That insistence helped push the administration toward a nominee who met the basic threshold the country needed. Someone we trust is capable, credible, and able to fulfill the DNI’s mission.

In a political climate where simply approving something and moving on has become the default, holding firm was a supreme moment when congressional spine aligned with the national interest.

Well done.