Senate committee advances nomination of Jay Clayton for Director of National Intelligence

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Senate Intelligence Committee has advanced the nomination of Jay Clayton, President Donald Trump’s pick to head the nation’s intelligence agencies, along party lines.

The 9-8 vote came after some Democrats praised Clayton and indicated they might vote for him. But that changed after a contentious hearing last week in which Clayton repeatedly refused to say that former President Joe Biden won the 2020 election.

He watches: Trump’s intelligence nominee refuses to reveal the winner of the 2020 election

Virginia Sen. Mark Warner, the committee’s top Democrat, said at the end of the hearing that he was “bitterly disappointed” in Clayton, the U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York and former chairman of the Securities and Exchange Commission, even though he had worked with him in the past.

The committee’s approval leads to a vote on Clayton’s nomination, possibly early next week. The vote was held behind closed doors, as is customary in committee, and all Democrats voted against Clayton, according to a person familiar with the vote who requested anonymity for disclosure.

Democrats’ response to Clayton comes as Trump has made reconsideration of the 2020 election, which he lost, a primary focus. On Thursday evening, he delivered a speech from the White House in which he tried again to cast doubt on that election and amplify false theories about Biden’s victory.

Clayton told senators he had nothing to do with that speech, but he repeatedly said the election was “certified” for Biden, refusing to outright say the Democrat won.

Warner said after Tuesday’s vote that he wanted to see someone in that position who “will be a restraint, not an agitator.”

Republicans want to confirm Clayton’s health quickly

Senators from both parties expressed concerns about the interim director, Bill Bolte, who took over when Tulsi Gabbard resigned last month. Bolte has no known intelligence experience and investigated the president’s perceived enemies in his previous position as a federal housing regulator.

Republicans had hoped to confirm Clayton in June so he could replace Gabbard without Bolte serving as interim. But Trump delayed Clayton’s nomination before the Senate left for a two-week recess, allowing Bolt to take over temporarily.

As the nomination reaches the Senate floor, it is not clear whether Democrats will allow Republicans to speed up the voting process. Although he opposes Clayton’s nomination, Warner said he doesn’t want to slow him down.

“We are between a rock and a hard place” with Bolte in office, he said.

Clayton did not mention Bolte at last week’s hearing. But he emphasized his experience in government and national security, trying to placate senators from both parties.

“I have seen first-hand how a strong national security apparatus depends on decisive governance, discipline, integrity, effective communication, and cooperation among the various branches of government,” Clayton said. He added: “If appointed Director of National Intelligence, I will commit to upholding these principles every day.”

Senate Intelligence Committee Chairman Tom Cotton, R-Arkansas, who expressed frustration last month when the hearing was postponed, said Clayton has a reputation for acting with “ethics, decency and integrity” in his past positions.

“Jay Clayton is a highly qualified candidate with deep experience combating a broad range of national security threats,” Cotton said in a statement on Tuesday.