Politiek · DNI Nomination · ArchiefJay Clayton's DNI Nomination Advances on Party-Line Vote After He Refused to Say Biden WonGeschreven 7 september 2026 om 21:22 UTCKijkenTranscript0:00The man nominated to oversee all 18 US0:02intelligence agencies refuses to0:05acknowledge who won the last0:06presidential election and the Senate0:08committee tasked with vetting him just0:09moved his nomination forward anyway.0:12Jay Clayton, President Trump's pick for0:13director of national intelligence,0:15advanced out of the Senate Intelligence0:17Committee on a party line vote Tuesday.0:19All nine Republicans voted for him. All0:21eight Democrats voted against. The0:23trouble for Clayton began during his0:24confirmation hearing when Democratic0:26Senator John Ossoff pressed him on a0:28basic question, whether Joe Biden won0:30the 2020 election. Clayton repeatedly0:33refused to answer directly. When Ossoff0:35pushed back, Clayton told the senator,0:37"I'm not going to do this with you and0:38I'm not going to do this with you and0:38I'm not going to engage in the theater."0:41Ossoff called the refusal0:42"disqualifying." That exchange became0:45the defining moment of the hearing.0:47Clayton did state at one point that he0:49is not an election denier, but he would0:51not directly acknowledge Biden's 20200:53victory. The committee vote split0:54exactly along party lines. Nine0:57Republicans in favor, eight Democrats0:59opposed. A stark departure from1:01Clayton's 2017 confirmation as SEC chair1:04when he won bipartisan support 61 to 39.1:07Even Senator Mark Warner of Virginia,1:09who supported Clayton's SEC nomination1:12eight years ago, voted against him this1:14time. Warner said he was "bitterly1:17disappointed," a sign of how much the1:19political terrain has shifted. The1:21nomination now heads to the full Senate1:23where the math gets complicated.1:24Republicans hold a narrow majority,1:27meaning Clayton will likely need1:28Democratic votes to be confirmed. Adding1:30to the pressure, this is tied to1:32reauthorization of section 702 of FISA,1:35the surveillance program that expired1:37last month. The question now is whether1:38enough Democrats will cross the aisle to1:40confirm a nominee who would not1:42acknowledge the last election result.Lees het artikelTijdlijn van het verhaalHeyDexDe korte video ↗
