The Senate Intelligence Committee has advanced the nomination of Jay Clayton, President Donald Trump’s pick to head the nation’s intelligence agencies.
Jay Clayton testifies during a Senate Intelligence Committee confirmation hearing to be the next Director of National Intelligence on Capitol Hill, Wednesday, July 15, 2026, in Washington.
Sen. Jon Ossoff, D-Ga. , joined at left by Sen. Mark Kelly, D-Ariz.
, questions Jay Clayton, President Donald Trump's pick to head the nation's intelligence agencies, as he appears for his confirmation hearing before the Senate Intelligence Committee, at the Capitol in Washington, Wednesday, July 15, 2026. Jay Clayton testifies during a Senate Intelligence Committee confirmation hearing to be the next Director of National Intelligence on Capitol Hill, Wednesday, July 15, 2026, in Washington.
The 9-8 vote came after some Democrats had praised Clayton and indicated that they might vote for him. But that shifted after aVirginia Sen. Mark Warner, the top Democrat on the panel, said during the hearing that he was “bitterly disappointed” in Clayton, the U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York and a former Securities and Exchange Commission chairman, even though he had worked with him in the past.
The committee’s approval sets up a floor vote on Clayton’s nomination, potentially early next week. The vote took place behind closed doors, as is customary for the panel, and all Democrats voted against Clayton, according to a person familiar with the vote who requested anonymity to disclose it.
Democrats are unlikely to allow Republicans to speed up a vote on the nomination after the hearing, at which Clayton said many times that the election was “certified” for Biden, declining to say outright that the Democrat won. But Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer said after the hearing that he thought Clayton’s performance was “abysmal,” and that “makes it much less likely that he will get Democratic votes. ”amplified debunked theories.
Pulte has no known intelligence experience and investigated the president’s perceived enemies in his previous post as a federal housing regulator. Republicans were hoping to confirm Clayton in June so he could replace Gabbard without Pulte serving as interim. But TrumpClayton did not mention Pulte in the hearing. But he emphasized his own government and national security experience, attempting to assuage senators in both parties.
“I saw firsthand how a strong national security apparatus depends on decisive judgment, discipline, integrity, and effective communication and cooperation across different branches of the government,” Clayton said in his opening statement. “If confirmed as Director of National Intelligence, I will commit to upholding these principles every day. ” Cotton, who expressed frustration last month when the hearing was delayed, said that Clayton has a reputation for operating with “morality, decency and integrity” in his previous positions.
“Jay Clayton is a highly qualified nominee with a deep experience combatting a wide range of national security threats. I’m pleased that the Senate Intelligence Committee voted to advance his nomination to be Director of National Intelligence,” Cotton said in a statement on Tuesday. Copyright 2026 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.
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