Washington — Sen. Mark Warner of Virginia, the top Democrat on the Senate Intelligence Committee, said Sunday he will oppose President Trump’s pick for director of national intelligence, Jay Clayton, after what Warner described as a deeply disappointing confirmation hearing.
“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 on “Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan.”
Clayton, who previously led the U.S. Attorney’s Office in one of the nation’s most closely watched jurisdictions and built a reputation as a respected public official, was nominated by Mr. Trump to succeed Tulsi Gabbard as director of national intelligence. He appeared last week before the Senate Intelligence Committee for his confirmation hearing, where Warner said his concerns grew not only from Clayton’s answers to his own questions, but also from the nominee’s exchanges with other senators.
A major focus of the hearing was the 2020 presidential election. Democratic senators pressed Clayton several times on the outcome. While Clayton stated that former President Joe Biden had been certified as president and said he is “not an election denier,” he did not directly answer when asked who won the 2020 election.
Warner also criticized Clayton’s handling of questions about Gabbard’s appearance at an FBI search of an elections hub in Fulton County, Georgia, earlier this year. The Virginia Democrat said Clayton seemed to respond as though he did not grasp what Gabbard had done.
“So I will be voting against Jay Clayton,” Warner said.
Despite Warner’s opposition, Clayton’s nomination is still expected to move forward. Republicans hold the majority on the Senate Intelligence Committee, making it likely that Clayton will advance to the full Senate. With the GOP also controlling the chamber, he is expected to win confirmation if his nomination reaches the floor.
Warner said the situation leaves lawmakers in a difficult position, noting that Bill Pulte, whom he described as a controversial acting director of national intelligence, is currently serving in the role. “We’re a little rock-in-a-hard-place here,” Warner said.
“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. “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 pointed to Pulte’s issuance of several criminal referrals to the Justice Department alleging mortgage fraud by a number of Mr. Trump’s political foes, adding, “that is not the kind of person we want in as DNI.”
Warner’s comments come after he had praised Mr. Trump’s nomination of Clayton just weeks ago. In an appearance on “Face the Nation” last month, Warner said, “We will get Clayton, I hope, confirmed as quickly as possible.”
