Pulte clash threatens even short-term spy powers extension

President Trump’s acceleration of the start date for his controversial pick to lead the intelligence community is pushing both sides to dig in on their impasse over renewing the nation’s spy powers, further complicating even a short-term extension. 

House and Senate efforts to bring a bill to the floor to reauthorize Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) until July 2 appear doomed to fail, with Democrats saying they won’t back such an extension so long as Bill Pulte remains acting director of national intelligence.

Meanwhile Trump has sent mixed messages about Pulte.

On Tuesday Trump said he would bump up Pulte’s start date to June 19, speeding the arrival of a man he has asked to shrink the Office of the Director of National Intelligence.

Then Wednesday, he publicly pleaded to Congress to pass a short-term extension of Section 702 to “provide time for the selection and confirmation of a permanent Head of the Agency.”

Democrats have said they won’t support a short-term extension as long as Pulte is in power. But that demand has become more nuanced, with Democrats arguing the acting director of national intelligence who was in place before Pulte must be returned to the role.

It’s created a chaotic situation on the eve of the spy powers expiring Friday.

“Whatever the period of the extension would be, I could be supportive if the law is followed, and that means that the current Trump-appointed, Senate-confirmed number two director of national intelligence is the acting during that extension period,” Sen. Mark Warner (D-Va.), the top Democrat on the Senate Intelligence Committee, told reporters shortly after the short-term extension was hotlined in the Senate and shot down by Democrats.

“So, if we want to keep 702 alive, the administration simply needs to follow the law and keep Mr. Lucas.”

The Senate confirmed Aaron Lucas as principal deputy director of national intelligence last July in a 51-46 vote. Trump initially........

© The Hill