Senate Expected to Confirm Clayton     07/28 06:12

   

   WASHINGTON (AP) -- The Senate is expected to confirm Jay Clayton on Tuesday 
to become head of the nation's intelligence agencies, ensuring that a permanent 
director is in place as the midterm elections approach.

   Clayton is expected to be confirmed along party lines after a contentious 
hearing two weeks ago in which he repeatedly refused to say that former 
President Joe Biden won the 2020 election. Still, Democrats have said they have 
more confidence in Clayton than they do in Trump's temporary pick for the job, 
Bill Pulte, who has no known intelligence experience and investigated the 
president's perceived enemies in his previous post as a federal housing 
regulator.

   Senators from both parties have expressed concerns about Pulte, who took 
over on an interim basis last month after Tulsi Gabbard resigned. Pulte was in 
charge when Trump delivered a speech from the White House earlier this month 
doubling down on his false claims about the 2020 election, which he lost, and 
released classified documents that he said were relevant to his arguments.

   Virginia Sen. Mark Warner, the top Democrat on the Senate intelligence 
committee, said he had worked in the past with Clayton, who is the U.S. 
attorney for the Southern District of New York and a former Securities and 
Exchange Commission chairman. After the hearing, Warner said he would oppose 
Clayton's nomination but acknowledged that Democrats are "between a rock and a 
hard place" with Pulte in the job.

   The Senate voted 51-43 along party lines on Monday to advance Clayton's 
nomination.

   Clayton won't say Biden won the election

   The Democratic pushback on Clayton comes as Trump has made revisiting 2020 a 
primary focus, repeatedly trying to cast doubt on that election and amplifying 
debunked theories about Biden's win.

   Clayton told senators that he had no involvement with Trump's primetime 
speech, but he said repeatedly that the election was "certified" for Biden, 
declining to say outright that the Democrat won.

   Warner said at the end of the hearing that he was "bitterly disappointed." 
Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer said he thought Clayton's performance 
was "abysmal," and that "makes it much less likely that he will get Democratic 
votes."

   Republicans tried to quickly confirm Clayton

   Republicans were hoping to confirm Clayton in June so he could replace 
Gabbard without Pulte serving as interim. But Trump delayed Clayton's 
nomination before the Senate left for a two-week recess, allowing Pulte to take 
the job temporarily.

   Clayton did not mention Pulte in the confirmation hearing. But he emphasized 
his own government and national security experience, attempting to assuage 
senators in both parties.

   "I saw firsthand how a strong national security apparatus depends on 
decisive judgment, discipline, integrity, and effective communication and 
cooperation across different branches of the government," Clayton said. "If 
confirmed as Director of National Intelligence, I will commit to upholding 
these principles every day."

   Senate Intelligence Committee Chairman Tom Cotton, R-Ark., who expressed 
frustration last month when the hearing was delayed, said that Clayton has a 
reputation for operating with "morality, decency and integrity" in his previous 
positions.

   "Jay Clayton is a highly qualified nominee with a deep experience combating 
a wide range of national security threats," Cotton said.