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July 21, 2026 / 2:35 PM EDT
/ CBS News
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Washington — The Senate Intelligence Committee advanced Jay Clayton's nomination for director of national intelligence on Tuesday, despite opposition from Democrats following his confirmation hearing earlier this month.In a 9 to 8 vote, the committee voted along party lines to advance Clayton's nomination to the floor, GOP Sen. Tom Cotton of Arkansas, the committee chairman, announced Tuesday."Jay Clayton is a highly qualified nominee with a deep experience combatting a wide range of national security threats," Cotton said in a statement. "I'm pleased that the Senate Intelligence Committee voted to advance his nomination to be Director of National Intelligence."President Trump nominated Clayton, the former U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York, last month. And although some Democrats had initially praised the nomination, which came as a more controversial pick was set to take over the agency as acting director of national intelligence, their support appeared to wane following Clayton's confirmation hearing.At the hearing, Democrats repeatedly asked Clayton about the results of the 2020 election. And although he acknowledged that former President Joe Biden was certified as president and said he is "not an election denier," Clayton evaded questions about who won the 2020 contest. Democratic Sen. Mark Warner of Virginia, the committee's vice chairman who had initially said he hoped to get Clayton confirmed "as quickly as possible," said Sunday that he would vote against Clayton's nomination. "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."
