The nomination of Jay Clayton to lead the nation's intelligence agencies will receive a second review in the Senate on Wednesday.
Clayton, who currently serves in the Southern District of New York, was chosen by the president to be the permanent nominee as the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) after former DNI stepped down from the role last month.
Clayton will appear before the Senate Intelligence Committee on Wednesday at 9:30 a.m.
Senate Intelligence Committee Chair has expressed support for Clayton, stating that he is a "patriot and highly qualified nominee."
"In his service to the people of New York, Mr. Clayton has deep experience combatting a wide range of national security threats," he continued.
However, Clayton's nomination was previously caught in a political firestorm, and it remains to be seen if he will survive the process.
Lawmakers are hopeful that a successful nomination will pave the way for the reauthorization of a key counter-terrorism tool, Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA).
The tool was allowed to gradually go dark after Democrats refused to support its reauthorization in protest of the president's appointment of an acting DNI they deemed unqualified.
Clayton's nomination was seen as an olive branch from the administration, designed to ensure that the unqualified acting DNI would never take the role.
However, the president intervened and demanded that the hearing be halted, citing a perceived breach of the deal on FISA reauthorization.
He also tied the SAVE America Act to FISA, effectively killing the legislation for Democrats.
