President Donald Trump has groused repeatedly during his second term about the sometimes lengthy nomination process needed for key administration officials to be approved by the U.S. Senate.

Republicans who control the Senate this week were ready and eager to fast-track the nomination of Jay Clayton for approval as Trump's next director of national intelligence. There was a confirmation hearing set for June 17, creating the potential for a full Senate vote on June 18 that could have had Clayton on the job by the end of this week.

That was, until Trump derailed the fast-track with a petulant, early morning social media post just before 4 a.m. on June 17, catching his Republican allies in the Senate off guard hours before Clayton's hearing.

Those Republicans had a motivation not centered on Trump's past annoyances about nominations. They wanted to head off Bill Pulte, a federal housing official and enthusiastic participant in Trump's retribution efforts against perceived enemies, who is now set to take on the role of acting director of national intelligence on June 19.

That annoyed Trump, who lobbed his bombshell into the nomination process from the G7 summit in France on June 17, where the six-hour time difference meant he was tossing his tantrum about 10 a.m.........

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