Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) on Monday placed a hold on the full Senate vote to approve James Clapper as the next director of national intelligence. “Senator McCain requested a specific report from Mr. Clapper and until that report is provided, Senator McCain will continue to hold his nomination,” McCain’s spokeswoman Brooke Buchanan wrote in an e-mailed response to a Daily Report query. Buchanan declined to say what information this report would contain. This development means Clapper’s full Senate vote might not take place until after the Congressional August recess that starts Aug. 9, even though the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence unanimously approved Clapper’s nomination July 29. Clapper currently serves as undersecretary of defense for intelligence. (For more, see Clapper Makes Case to be Nation’s Intel Czar.)
The Air National Guardsman who was arrested last year for sharing hundreds of top secret and classified documents to online chatrooms was sentenced to 15 years in federal prison on Nov. 12 after pleading guilty to several charges this March.