Democratic Sen. Mark Warner of Virginia announced Sunday that he will oppose President Trump's nominee Jay Clayton for director of national intelligence, reversing his earlier support after what he described as a deeply unsatisfactory confirmation hearing.
According to CBS News, Warner said his decision followed Claytons appearance before the Senate Intelligence Committee, where the nominees testimony failed to meet the standard the senator expected for the nations top intelligence post. Warner, speaking on Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan, stressed his long-standing relationship with Clayton but underscored how sharply his view had shifted, declaring, 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.
Clayton, a respected former leader of the U.S. Attorney's Office in one of the countrys most prominent jurisdictions, was tapped by President Trump to succeed Tulsi Gabbard as director of national intelligence. He appeared before the Senate Intelligence Committee last week, where Warner, the panels top Democrat, said he found Claytons answers lacking, not just from my questions, but from many of my colleagues.
Democrats on the committee pressed Clayton repeatedly about the 2020 election, a topic the left continues to weaponize years later despite formal certification and extensive litigation. Clayton acknowledged that former President Joe Biden was certified as president and insisted he is not an election denier, yet he declined to give Democrats the sound bite they sought by sidestepping direct questions about who won the 2020 contest.
Warner also seized on Claytons handling of questions about Gabbards presence at an FBI search of an elections hub in Fulton County, Georgia, earlier this year, accusing him of feigning confusion. The senator complained that Clayton was acting like he didn't understand what Gabbard had done, a characterization that reflects more on Warners expectations than on any legal or intelligence failing by the nominee.
So I will be voting against Jay Clayton, Warner said, signaling that partisan pressure from the Democratic base is now outweighing his prior praise for the nominees credentials. With Republicans holding a majority on the Intelligence Committee, however, Warner conceded that Clayton is still likely to clear the panel and move to a full Senate vote.
If advanced out of committee, Clayton is widely expected to be confirmed by the GOP-controlled Senate, which has generally backed President Trumps efforts to install leaders who will resist politicization of the intelligence community. Warner, meanwhile, framed the situation as a dilemma, given that the acting director of national intelligence, Bill Pulte, remains in place during the confirmation process, saying, we're a little rock-in-a-hard-place here.
I know Jay Clayton will probably get confirmed. I hope we see the Jay Clayton that I have known and have worked with, Warner said, before pivoting to a harsh critique of the acting DNI. The one thing I also know is, the absolute disaster we have right now with the acting DNI, Bill Pulte, who has no intelligence experience, who has nothing but loyalty to Trump.
Warner objected to Pultes issuance of several criminal referrals to the Justice Department alleging mortgage fraud by a number of Mr. Trump's political foes, arguing, that is not the kind of person we want in as DNI. His remarks mark a sharp turn from his earlier stance; just weeks ago, he had lauded President Trumps choice, telling Face the Nation, We will get Clayton, I hope, confirmed as quickly as possible, a reminder that Democratic opposition appears to be hardening as the administration continues to challenge the entrenched intelligence bureaucracy.
Login