Jay Clayton, President Donald Trump's choice for director of national intelligence, is "the right guy for the job," Sen. Mike Rounds, R-S.D., told Newsmax on Thursday.
Appearing on "Wake Up America," Rounds defended Clayton's nomination amid delays surrounding his confirmation and urged lawmakers to move quickly to restore a key national security surveillance program that recently expired.
"Jay Clayton is the right guy for the job. We know that," Rounds told co-hosts Marc Lotter and Sharla McBride. "We had hoped to be able to get him confirmed to get him back in and get the FISA 702 operation back going again."
The Senate Intelligence Committee member said Democrat lawmakers have linked support for reauthorizing Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act to filling the director of national intelligence position, creating a political standoff over two issues he believes should be handled separately.
"We've explained to them that 702 is so important. They should simply support it. Period. End of story," Rounds said.
Section 702 allows U.S. intelligence agencies to collect communications of foreign targets located outside the United States and has long been viewed by national security officials as a critical tool for identifying terrorist threats, cyberattacks, and foreign espionage efforts.
Rounds argued that allowing the authority to remain expired poses a risk to national security, particularly as the United States hosts major international events and faces ongoing terrorism concerns.
"This is what we use to find out what the bad guys outside of the United States are looking at trying to do to us in the United States," he said. "America is at risk because of that."
The South Dakota Republican also voiced support for the SAVE America Act, election-integrity legislation backed by Trump and many congressional Republicans.
Rounds, a co-sponsor of the measure, called it "common sense" and noted that many states already have similar provisions in place.
"Thirty-six states out of the 50 right now already have provisions of it in place," he said.
Rounds acknowledged that Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., faces challenges in advancing both the president's legislative priorities and pending nominations but praised his leadership.
"John Thune is doing his best to try to move the president's agenda forward," Rounds said.
Beyond intelligence and election issues, Rounds highlighted other legislation moving through Congress, including the annual National Defense Authorization Act and a bipartisan housing package aimed at increasing affordability and expanding housing supply.
Still, Rounds said confirmation of Clayton remains a priority as Republicans seek to fill key national security posts and restore surveillance authorities that intelligence officials have argued are essential to protecting the country.
"We hope Jay Clayton is the next guy to come through," Rounds said.
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