Men's Lifestyle June 17, 2026 0 Comments

How Trump’s Hunt for Tulsi Gabbard’s Successor Unleashed a Political Fury You Won’t Believe

Ever wonder what it truly means when politics turns into a chaotic spectacle that feels more like a WWE event on the White House lawn? You’d think bringing folks who’ve been at each other’s throats to the nation’s front yard would be a historic moment—turning the National Mall’s reflecting pool into an unintended science experiment. Yet somehow, the sheer absurdity of it all leaves some laughing at what’s supposed to be a mighty sword wielded for power. And here we are, caught in a tangled mess of rushed nominations, broken deals, and a president who’s waving around controversial acts like a wildcard. It’s a wild ride where the usual rules seem to bend, blue slips cause headaches, and political chess plays out with all the grace of a bull in a china shop—algae and all. Ready to dive deep into the drama and see how these moves could ripple through our nation’s intelligence and voting integrity? LEARN MORE

4 min read

Don’t they understand how damned historic it was to bring people beating each other’s brains out to the White House lawn and turn the National Mall’s reflecting pool into a high-school biology experiment? Don’t they get it? Why do they laugh at his mighty sword?

The Republicans agreed with Dumocrats to remove very fair, and talented, William Pulte, from serving as Acting DNI in return for getting [the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act] approved by the Dumocrats. However, the Republicans moved so fast with the hearings of the Great Jay Clayton, current U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York, that Pulte would be gone before the Dumocrats would vote on FISA. Now, the Dumocrats are saying they will vote against FISA — So, the Republicans wound up having fulfilled their commitment, but Dumocrats broke the Deal. In addition, the newly nominated U.S. Attorney, Jamie McDonald, must be confirmed and blue slipped. Because of the ridiculous views of Republicans on blue slipping (Dumocrats are often willing to nix it), I may not be able to get the extraordinary Sullivan & Cromwell Partner, Jamie, approved, and I don’t want to take Jay Clayton away from the great job he is doing until Jamie is in place. Therefore, to add a slight bit of intrigue but, for the Good of the Nation, and the People of our Country, I will not approve FISA without THE SAVE AMERICA ACT going along with it. Not complicated, actually, the Republicans fell into a trap. Regarding the approval of our Great Patriot, Jay Clayton, we are cancelling the Senate Hearing RE: DNI today, and will not be going forward until Jamie McDonald is approved to be U.S. Attorney. In the meantime, Bill Pulte will remain as the Acting Director of National Intelligence. Thank you for your attention to this matter!

Don’t mention it.

From The Guardian:

The president does not technically have the power to cancel a Senate hearing.

And, with Senator Tom Cotton, the bobble-throated slapdick allegedly from Arkansas, chairing the relevant committee, the fact that the president doesn’t “technically” have the power to do something matters less than the lunch menu in the Senate Dining Room.

Trump said that Republicans had rushed the Clayton nomination so quickly that “Pulte would be gone before the Dumocrats would vote on FISA”, using his common derogatory term for Democrats. He also said he wanted to see Clayton’s replacement as U.S. attorney completed before Clayton became the director of national intelligence, and further complicated the situation by asserting he did not want the surveillance act approved unless it included the Save America Act, a controversial and restrictive voting bill.

Tulsi Gabbard resigned late last month as director of national intelligence, which oversees 18 U.S. spy agencies. Pulte could become acting director as soon as this week. Like Pulte and Gabbard, Clayton has thin credentials for America’s top intelligence job. He served as the chair of the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) during Trump’s first term, and made millions working as a Wall Street attorney in the decades prior to his 2017 SEC post.

Of course, Clayton is no bargain, either.

But like Trump’s other appointees, Clayton has also demonstrated unwavering support for Trump and his agenda—including his conspiracies of election fraud. On CNBC on June 8, during a conversation about allegations of fraud in the California elections, Clayton said of election integrity: “We’re doing an absolutely terrible job, and the American people are right to question it.” Trump has called the elections “rigged”, while presenting no evidence to support the allegations. He also said California’s mail-voting laws, which include sending mail ballots to all voters and a grace period for ballots to arrive after election day, created an “opportunity for fraud”.

And by tacking his beloved voter suppression bill onto the FISA bill, El Caudillo del Mar-A-Lago even has bestirred the Republican Senate majority into (gently) asserting its constitutional prerogatives. From Politico:

[Senate majority leader John] Thune has repeatedly warned that the elections bill does not have to votes to pass the Senate and attaching it to the surveillance law would kill any chance of passage. Trump has paid no heed to those warnings, insisting Wednesday that the two measures be linked. … Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.) said in an interview that Trump was unlikely to get his wish. “Let me put it this way: I want a Porsche for my birthday. I’m probably not going to get it, and a FISA extension with the SAVE Act … is not likely to pass in your or mine natural lifetime,” he said. But Kennedy said he understood what Trump is doing: “I think this is how he negotiates. … He wants what he wants, and until he gets it, he just keeps pushing.”

And unsightly algae be damned.