Intelligence nominee Jay Clayton faces confrontational Senate hearing
· UPIJuly 15 (UPI) -- Jay Clayton, President Donald Trump's pick to be the next director of national intelligence, appeared in a confirmation hearing before a Senate committee on intelligence Wednesday.
Democratic senators questioned Clayton on topics such Trump's allegations about the validity of the 2020 election and subpoenas on journalists. The nominee refused to say directly that Joe Biden won the 2020 election in response to multiple questions, saying instead that Biden was "certified" as president and that he is "not an election denier."
"He went through our electoral process," Clayton said of Biden.
Sen. Joe Ossoff, D-Ga., was one of those questioning Clayton about the election.
"You refuse to answer a basic question about who won a presidential election, but you ask to lead America's intelligence community," Ossoff said. "Isn't it humiliating to be unable to answer this question, to have to indulge the president's delusions?"
Senators also questioned Clayton about subpoenas served to New York Times journalists last week after they reported on security issues with Trump's new Air Force One.
Clayton said he couldn't talk about the specifics.
"Let me say that I am confident that the procedures that we have in place to protect the First Amendment and protect the freedom of the press, and not result in the intimidation of journalists," he said.
Ossoff also asked Clayton about his predecessor Tulsi Gabbard's presence at FBI raids on election offices in Georgia earlier this year. Clayton said he was not aware of that.
Clayton, if confirmed, would succeed Bill Pulte, who is serving as acting director. Gabbard, the former director, resigned in May, effective at the end of June.
Trump first said Aaron Lukas, the principal deputy director of intelligence, would be acting director, then said Pulte would take the job. A few days later, he said Pulte would only be acting director and nominated Clayton about a week later.
The president then canceled a planned confirmation hearing for Clayton in mid-June while in the middle of a fight with Congress over the voter ID bill called the SAVE America Act, a battle which continues. Senators rescheduled the hearing weeks later.
Clayton's confirmation is key to the extension of certain U.S. spy powers involving a foreign surveillance program which expired more than a month ago. Democrats have said they will not vote for Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act as long as Pulte is director of intelligence.
This week in Washington
Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche is sworn in at the Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on his nomination to be attorney general at the U.S. Capitol on Wednesday. Blanche has served as acting attorney general since April, when former Attorney General Pam Bondi was fired. Photo by Bonnie Cash/UPI | License Photo