No Guts, No Glory

No Guts, No Glory Senate confirms legally unqualified Jay Clayton to head US Intelligence The Senate confirmed Jay Clayton to be director of National Intelligence on a party-line vote Tuesday evening, a move evidently driven by the twin urgencies of reviving a controversial electronic surveillance law and ridding the agency of Bill Pulte, a Trump sycophant who boasted hours earlier of carrying out a “fifth and final” round of mass firings during his nearly two-months tenure as acting director. The exact number of DNI employees let go has not been disclosed, but last week The Washington Post reported that the “ODNI had about 2,000 employees at the start of Trump’s second term,” adding, “It is now little more than half that size, according to congressional aides.” Since Pulte took office, ODNI has lost about 200 personnel to firings and reassignments. “Good News!” Pulte posted on his social media account Tuesday morning, according to Politico. “In addition to the Historic DECLASSIFICATIONS (Transparency!) by the President, we are, this morning, Executing a 5th and Near Final Round of TERMINATIONS, an approximately 30% Staff Reduction from Weeks Ago.” Added Pulte, “The Intelligence Community must protect the American people, NOT the political whims of the bloated and corrupt elite class.” Democrats initially welcomed the nomination of Clayton, most recently a top federal prosecutor in New York, despite his lack of the “extensive national security expertise” mandated by law, if only because they were alarmed by the tenure of Pulte, who had used his position as head of the obscure Federal Housing Finance Agency to launch spurious investigations of Biden appointees and other Democrats. But they soured on Clayton during his conformation hearing when he refused to state plainly that Joe Biden won the 2020 election, as well as left open the possibility that he might get (improperly) involved in reviewing election ballots like his predecessor Tulsi Gabbard. "Having known and worked with Jay for years, I was encouraged when he was first nominated for the position of DNI, Sen. Mark Warner of Virginia, top Democrat on the Senate Intelligence Committee said in a statement Tuesday. “Unfortunately, I came away from his confirmation process with serious reservations about whether he would be willing to stand up to political pressure when it matters most." Warner said he hoped Clayton would prove his concerns “unfounded, because the Intelligence Community deserves steadier leadership than it has received in recent months.” With the its August recess looming, it’s unlikely the Senate will take up renewal of the electronic surveillance program, known as FISA Section 702, until its return Sept. 11. Heads up! Trump pressuring Thune to demand repugs stay in DC during Aug. and pass the Save Act. Or has that changed already? Happy to read this update.