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Clayton’s election test
Jay Clayton, President Donald Trump’s nominee for director of national intelligence, faced repeated questions in a Senate confirmation hearing about whether Joe Biden won the 2020 election, with Democrats pressing him to directly acknowledge the result.
“'I'm not an election denier': Clayton, Trump's DNI pick, faces tense questions on 2020 election Clayton was also grilled about the subpoenas he issued to journalists last week”
Clayton told the committee, "I am not an election denier. Joe Biden was certified as the president of the United States," while refusing to say whether Biden won legitimately.
Sen. Jon Ossoff then doubled down on the question, asking "Who won the 2020 election?" and Clayton replied, "I’m not going to do this with you."
The hearing also turned to election security and whether Clayton would keep the agency free of political interference, after it was rescheduled weeks after being abruptly scuttled by the president.
NBC News framed the same confrontation as Clayton being questioned on "who won the 2020 election," underscoring how the confirmation fight hinged on his answers about the 2020 result.
Subpoenas and First Amendment
Democrats also pressed Clayton about subpoenas he issued to journalists at The New York Times, after the outlet reported security concerns involving Trump’s new Qatari-donated Air Force One.
Clayton said the subpoenas were "in connection with an ongoing national security investigation," and he reiterated that he respects the First Amendment and the role of the press.
Sen. Ron Wyden questioned when Clayton was directed to issue the subpoenas and who asked him to do so, but Clayton did not directly answer the question.
The Justice Department spokeswoman, as quoted by ABC News, said "reporters are not the targets, those leaking classified information are," while Clayton told the committee he consulted with career prosecutors before issuing the subpoeanas.
In the same hearing, Clayton also faced questions about whether he would follow a direction from Trump to oversee domestic election investigations, with Ossoff asking whether it would be appropriate for the director of national intelligence.
What’s at stake next
The confirmation process for Clayton remained uncertain as the committee’s vote was expected next week, with Republicans and Democrats disputing how quickly the Senate should act on the nomination.
“Jay Clayton, President Donald Trump's pick for director of national intelligence, refused to say Joe Biden won the 2020 election, claimed not to know his predecessor Tulsi Gabbard took part in a raid of a Georgia election office earlier this year and defended subpoenaing New York Times journalists in a contentious Senate confirmation hearing Wednesday”
Sen. Tom Cotton of Arkansas, the committee’s Republican chairman, said he intended to hold a vote early next week on Clayton’s nomination and send it for consideration by the full Senate.
The Reuters account said the administration sought to increase federal oversight of U.S. elections, and legal experts said such an effort would take power away from states in violation of the U.S. Constitution.
NBC News and other coverage tied the hearing to Trump’s broader election agenda, including a contested package of election restrictions known as the SAVE America Act that remained stalled because it lacked enough votes to pass the Senate.
The Hill reported that Ossoff pressed Clayton on whether he would follow Trump’s insistence about who won 2020, framing the exchange as a test of whether Clayton would be "honest and forthright" with the committee.
