Published Jul 17, 2026, 12:55 PM EDT
Clayton made his remarks before the Senate Intelligence Committee during his confirmation hearing, before Trump made widespread fraud claims.
Jay Clayton has promised to assess what resources are needed in the cybersecurity space if he becomes the next director of national intelligence (DNI), simultaneously as President Donald Trump issued a fiery speech warning Americans with claims of "vulnerabilities" in election infrastructure. Clayton, the U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York and former chair of the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), appeared before the Senate Intelligence Committee on July 15 for a hearing to decide whether he will assume the role. If he is ultimately approved, through a chamber held by a narrow GOP majority, it would give him control of 18 intelligence agencies. Clayton was nominated after interim DNI Bill Pulte was met with widespread criticism over his appointment due, in part, to his lack of experience in the intelligence field and possessing a housing background. Pulte's predecessor, Tulsi Gabbard, resigned from the role in May after revealing her husband’s cancer diagnosis.
'Significant Concern'
During Wednesday's hearing, Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.) asked the DNI hopeful about measures he would take to improve cybersecurity to stop foreign interference in elections. She said that Trump's administration had eliminated personnel who were involved in overseeing the election process from cyberthreats from the DNI, calling it concerning. Clayton seemed to agree. "It is a significant concern of mine," Clayton said. "Cybersecurity has been part of my private sector and public sector practice for well over a decade, going on close to two decades." "I can commit to making an assessment and to the extent that more resources are needed, or more focus is needed, or more coordination is needed," he added, promising to continue a "dialogue" with Gillibrand on the issue.
