The Senate confirmed Jay Clayton as Director of National Intelligence on Tuesday in a 51-47 party-line vote, replacing Bill Pulte, who spent his final days in the job telling the New York Times he had fired dozens of intelligence officers, a claim that former officials described as false because Pulte was counting people who had already left on planned rotations and unfilled positions as terminations. Pulte’s accounting math produced the purge headlines he wanted. The intelligence community’s actual personnel count produced a different number.
Clayton, who chaired the SEC during Trump’s first term and currently serves as U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York, was the second-choice replacement after Pulte. Trump initially wanted Pulte permanently. A backlash even among Republican senators forced him to pivot to Clayton, which the CNN reporter covering the announcement described on air as “a capitulation,” which is the word you use when the president abandons his preferred candidate because his own party said no. Clayton was confirmed anyway, 51-47, which is the margin that produces the specific result described as a party-line vote.
Clayton’s confirmation hearing in July was described by observers as chaotic. He refused repeatedly to acknowledge that Biden won the 2020 election, which caused Sen. Tom Cotton, a Republican, to begin yelling at him, and caused Sen. Mark Warner, who had prepared to potentially vote for him, to describe himself as “bitterly disappointed” and withdraw his support. Clayton was confirmed anyway. Warner voted no. The vote was 51-47.
Security expert Paul Rieckhoff told CNN after the vote that Clayton’s confirmation “has our enemies celebrating,” which is the assessment of a man who spent years leading Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America and who is describing the new spy chief of the United States in terms of what foreign adversaries think of the appointment. Sen. Patty Murray posted on X: “BREAKING: Senate Republicans just confirmed Jay Clayton as Director of National Intelligence, an election-denier and Trump sycophant. The GOP should be ashamed.” The Republican senators who voted yes have not addressed the election-denier characterization specifically.
Clayton now runs the office responsible for coordinating all 18 American intelligence agencies. He previously chaired the SEC. He will not say who won in 2020.
When the new director of national intelligence won’t acknowledge the outcome of a recent election, and a security expert says the confirmation has America’s enemies celebrating, what exactly is the intelligence community’s job?
Sources
Raw Story: Jay Clayton confirmed as Trump’s new spymaster in party-line vote
Raw Story: ‘Really alarming moment’: Trump spy chief’s confirmation rattles security expert
Raw Story: Outgoing Trump spy chief brags about firings that ex-officials call bogus
