US President Donald Trump. Photo: Collected

WASHINGTON, United States, June 17, 2026 (BSS/AFP) - US President Donald Trump has suspended a Senate hearing on Jay Clayton's nomination for intelligence chief, saying on Wednesday he wanted to be sure Clayton's current post as prosecutor will be filled by the man of his choosing.

In a game of musical chairs, Trump picked Clayton, who headed the Securities and Exchange Commission during the president's first term in office, as his director of national intelligence (DNI).

Clayton has served as US attorney for the Southern District of New York -- one of the most powerful prosecutorial positions in the country -- since the spring of 2025.

Trump is determined that he be replaced by Jamie McDonald, a lawyer who handled one of his legal cases and must also be approved by the Senate.

"I may not be able to get the extraordinary... Jamie approved, and I don't want to take Jay Clayton away from the great job he is doing until Jamie is in place," Trump wrote on Truth Social.

"We are cancelling the Senate Hearing RE: DNI today, and will not be going forward until Jamie McDonald is approved to be US Attorney," he said.

As long as Clayton is not approved, Bill Pulte remains the acting DNI.

Trump's interim appointment of the loyalist housing official earlier this month despite having no intelligence background sparked an uproar among Democrats and some Republicans.

Critics fear that Trump would rely on the DNI to carry out acts of political revenge or intefere with elections.

He has already ordered Pulte to cut jobs in the US intelligence community.