Senate Intelligence Committee Advances Jay Clayton Nomination on 9-8 Party-Line Vote

The Senate Intelligence Committee voted 9-8 on Tuesday to advance Jay Clayton's nomination for director of national intelligence to the full Senate. The committee's Republican chairman told reporters that the margin likely reflected unanimous Democratic opposition.

Jay Clayton currently serves as U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York. He previously led the Securities and Exchange Commission during President Trump's first term and received bipartisan support for that confirmation. Sen.

Mark Warner, the top Democrat on the committee, announced he would oppose the nomination. Warner cited Clayton's answers during last week's confirmation hearing on the 2020 election results and Tulsi Gabbard's presence at an FBI raid in Fulton County, Georgia. "I've known Jay for a long time.

I like Jay. I worked well with him when he was at the SEC. But I was bitterly disappointed by his performance in front of my committee," Warner said. President Trump canceled Clayton's committee hearing last month, delaying the vote until after the July 4 recess.

Bill Pulte took over as acting director of national intelligence in June after Tulsi Gabbard left the position.