US President Donald Trump announced on Wednesday that he is putting off the nomination of Jay Clayton to serve as Director of National Intelligence, the Wall Street Journal reported.

The move came hours before a scheduled Senate confirmation hearing and effectively paused lawmakers' efforts to install a new intelligence leader swiftly, according to the Journal.

Trump indicated the nomination would remain on hold until the Senate approves a replacement for Clayton in his current role as US attorney for the Southern District of New York.

The president also stated he would withhold support for renewing an important surveillance statute until lawmakers enact voter eligibility measures he has prioritized for years.

The voting legislation lacks the sixty votes needed for Senate advancement, the report added.

Trump's choice of Clayton this month represented a shift from his earlier contested selection of housing secretary Bill Pulte to serve as acting intelligence director after Tulsi Gabbard stepped down.

Several senators had raised concerns about Pulte's limited background in national security and threatened to block renewal of Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act if he took the post.

Role of FISA Section 702

Section 702 permits US intelligence agencies to monitor foreign targets located outside the country without obtaining individual warrants.

Following the Clayton nomination, senators had accelerated confirmation proceedings ahead of Pulte's planned start date later in the week.

Senate Intelligence Committee Chairman Tom Cotton noted on social media that the panel would continue with the hearing unless the president instructed Clayton to stay away or withdrew the nomination.

Cotton later confirmed the session was canceled and described the development as unfortunate.

Trump posted on Truth Social that Clayton would not attend because Congress had permitted the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act to expire.