Senate Republicans have quietly advanced President Donald Trump's pick to run the nation's intelligence agencies, moving Congress closer to restarting a crucial counterterrorism tool.
According to sources, the Senate Intelligence Committee voted U.S. Attorney Jay Clayton out of committee in a 9-8 vote during a closed-door session, teeing up a later confirmation vote for Clayton to serve as the Director of National Intelligence (DNI).
Senator Tom Cotton, R-Ark., praised Clayton's qualifications, stating that he has a deep experience combatting a wide range of national security threats. "Jay Clayton is a highly qualified nominee," Cotton said. "I'm pleased that the Senate Intelligence Committee voted to advance his nomination to be Director of National Intelligence."
The role of Director of National Intelligence was previously vacated by former DNI Tulsi Gabbard and then filled on an interim basis by Trump with Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) Director Bill Pulte. Democrats had railed against Pulte as an unqualified loyalist who would weaponize the intelligence community against the president's enemies.
Clayton, who served as chair of the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) during Trump's first term, became a victim of the political firestorm that surrounded Pulte. His first hearing was derailed by Trump, who demanded that the Senate confirm his replacement for the Southern District in New York and attach the SAVE America Act to must-pass legislation.
Clayton will now face a full confirmation vote in the Senate, where several Senate Democrats previously voted for him to be SEC chair. However, his hearing was dominated by questions about whether he would admit that former President Joe Biden won the 2020 election and Trump had lost, which Clayton shrugged off as "theater." He will need Democratic votes to clinch the nomination.
Movement on his nomination could open up a path to reauthorizing the nation's top counterterrorism tool, Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA), which was notably used to thwart a terrorist attack at a Taylor Swift concert years ago. Democrats had derailed the process after Trump appointed Pulte, but with a new face leading the nation's 18 intelligence agencies, Section 702 could soon see the lights come back on.
