Trump's DNI pick will have to wait for his confirmation hearing after Truth Social bomb

Former Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) Chairman Walter "Jay" Clayton was set to face senators at what was expected to be a tense confirmation hearing to become director of national intelligence Wednesday. But President Donald Trump abruptly halted the proceedings, declaring in an early morning Truth Social post that Clayton's confirmation hearing would not move forward Wednesday. 

While Trump commands a great deal of authority, he can't cancel a hearing on the Hill on his own. The president can "withdraw" a nominee, or neglect to send the paperwork to Capitol Hill lawmakers if there's an issue of timing, but he has not indicated he will do either. Intelligence Committee Chair Tom Cotton said Wednesday that Clayton is a pending nominee before the committee. "We will proceed with his hearing as scheduled unless the president directs him not to appear or withdraws his nomination," he said. 

Sources familiar with the matter told Fox News Digital that it'd be "hard to have a hearing without a witness." Cotton later formally announced that the hearing would be postponed in a social media post. 

"It’s regrettable that the president has directed Jay Clayton not to appear at his confirmation hearing today," Cotton said. "Mr. Clayton is a patriot and a highly qualified nominee, as the president has said repeatedly. While today’s hearing is now unfortunately postponed, I look forward to proceeding with his confirmation in the near future."

TRUMP NOMINATES JAY CLAYTON, FORMER SEC CHAIRMAN, CURRENT US ATTORNEY, AS INTELLIGENCE DIRECTOR

The postponed hearing had been set against the backdrop of’ 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.

Sen. Mark Kelly, D-Ariz., a top Trump critic, told reporters Tuesday that concerns over Pulte could actually help push Clayton through once he appears before the Intelligence Committee.

"[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."

TRUMP NAMES BILL PULTE ACTING DIRECTOR OF NATIONAL INTELLIGENCE

"But to do that, we have to have everybody in the committee," he said.

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.

Trump dismissed such claims, saying "Dumocrats" are inordinately "afraid" of Pulte.

WHY TRUMP PICKED BILL PULTE TO LEAD US INTELLIGENCE AS CRITICS QUESTION HIS QUALIFICATIONS

Clayton, meanwhile, is expected to come before Congress with a resume that may be easier for Democrats to digest in the narrow-GOP-majority upper chamber.

While Clayton also does not have a background in the intelligence community, he does have the prosecutorial chops that may assuage some critics. 

As SDNY’s top federal prosecutor, Clayton has overseen cases involving violent crime, drug trafficking, Wall Street-related enforcement and national security matters, while avoiding public controversy over other Trump picks.

SENATE PUSH TO REAUTHORIZE NATION’S SPY POWERS STUMBLES OVER CONTROVERSIAL TRUMP DECISION

Senate Majority Leader John Thune of South Dakota said that Clayton’s role as SDNY does crossover into intelligence matters.

"Jay Clayton is an eminently qualified individual to become the new director of national intelligence. And so we are looking forward to processing him this week. [Intelligence Committee] Chairman Cotton will be … [holding] his confirmation hearing tomorrow… and hopefully reporting him out later in the week."

Returning to concerns over Democrat roadblocks for another Trump pick, Thune noted it would take cooperation of the minority party to fast-track the nomination.

It remains unclear when Clayton's confirmation hearing will be rescheduled or whether Democrats will cooperate with efforts to move his nomination quickly.

Fox News’ Chad Pergram and Tyler Olson contributed to this report.