{"id":20607,"date":"2026-07-29T05:06:33","date_gmt":"2026-07-29T00:06:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/?p=20607"},"modified":"2026-07-29T05:06:33","modified_gmt":"2026-07-29T00:06:33","slug":"senate-votes-to-confirm-jay-clayton-as-director-of-national-intelligence","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/?p=20607","title":{"rendered":"Senate votes to confirm Jay Clayton as director of national intelligence"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><script>\r\n  atOptions = {\r\n    'key' : '644b717812d811d6a1c1fc5b6ccd6fa6',\r\n    'format' : 'iframe',\r\n    'height' : 90,\r\n    'width' : 728,\r\n    'params' : {}\r\n  };\r\n<\/script>\r\n<script src=\"https:\/\/www.highperformanceformat.com\/644b717812d811d6a1c1fc5b6ccd6fa6\/invoke.js\"><\/script>\r\n<br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div xmlns:default=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" data-testid=\"prism-article-body\">\n<p class=\"EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao MvWXB TjIXL aGjvy ebVHC \">U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York <a class=\"zZygg UbGlr iFzkS qdXbA WCDhQ DbOXS tqUtK GpWVU iJYzE \" data-testid=\"prism-linkbase\" href=\"https:\/\/abcnews.com\/Politics\/trump-picks-jay-clayton-director-national-intelligence\/story?id=133793927\" dir=\"ltr\">Jay Clayton<\/a> will become the next director of national intelligence after the Senate voted to confirm his nomination following a monthslong stalemate.<\/p>\n<p class=\"EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy \">Clayton&#8217;s nomination was confirmed by a 51-47 party-line vote.<\/p>\n<p class=\"EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy \">Clayton&#8217;s confirmation comes as senators work to renew the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, or FISA, a critical national security tool that went dark after Democrats revolted against its extension over concerns over the next DNI.<!-- -->\u00a0<\/p>\n<div class=\"oLzSq QrHMO fnRUo pvsTF EhJPu vPlOC zNYgW OsTsW RMeqy daRVX ISNQ sKyCY eRftA acPPc MENS nFwaT MCnQE mEeeY SmBjI xegrY rPLsU iulOd NIuqO zzscu lzDCc aHUBM IEgzD OjMNy eQqcx SVqKB GQmdz jaoD VWDdR ONJdw vrZxD OnRTz gbbfF roDbV GPGwb oMlSS gfNzt oJhud eXZcf zhVlX \">\n<div>\n<div class=\"InlineImage GpQCA lZur asrEW \" data-testid=\"prism-inline-image\">\n<figure class=\"kzIjN GNmeK pYrtp dSqFO \" data-testid=\"prism-figure\">\n<div class=\"GpQCA lZur \" style=\"padding-bottom:70.83333333333334%\" data-testid=\"prism-ratio-frame\">\n<div class=\"FvQLF iLTd NqeUA UzzHi iWsMV \"><picture data-testid=\"prism-picture\"><source media=\"(max-width: 414px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i.abcnewsfe.com\/a\/b380dd26-e24e-4c7b-9345-d706f5cccb64\/clayton-4-gty-gmh-260715_1784126042737_hpMain.jpg?w=375, https:\/\/i.abcnewsfe.com\/a\/b380dd26-e24e-4c7b-9345-d706f5cccb64\/clayton-4-gty-gmh-260715_1784126042737_hpMain.jpg?w=750 2x\"\/><source media=\"(min-width: 415px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i.abcnewsfe.com\/a\/b380dd26-e24e-4c7b-9345-d706f5cccb64\/clayton-4-gty-gmh-260715_1784126042737_hpMain.jpg?w=750, https:\/\/i.abcnewsfe.com\/a\/b380dd26-e24e-4c7b-9345-d706f5cccb64\/clayton-4-gty-gmh-260715_1784126042737_hpMain.jpg?w=1500 2x\"\/><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"\" class=\"hsDdd NDJZt sJeUN IJwXl vBqtr KrDt itslR SjwtZ hakZw HlUVI \" data-testid=\"prism-image\" draggable=\"false\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/i.abcnewsfe.com\/a\/b380dd26-e24e-4c7b-9345-d706f5cccb64\/clayton-4-gty-gmh-260715_1784126042737_hpMain.jpg\"\/><\/picture><\/div>\n<\/div><figcaption>\n<div class=\"nMMea bNYiy Mjgpa dGwha DDmxa jgKNG RGHCC aBIU PriDW aiQHS lZur \" data-testid=\"prism-caption\">\n<p><span class=\"hsDdd OOSI GpQCA lZur VlFaz \" data-testid=\"prism-truncate\"><span><span class=\"gtOSm FbbUW tUtYa vOCwz EQwFq yCufu eEak Qmvg nyTIa SRXVc vzLa jgBfc WXDas CiUCW kqbG zrdEG txGfn ygKVe BbezD UOtxr CVfpq xijV soGRS XgdC sEIlf daWqJ \">Jay Clayton, President Donald Trump&#8217;s nominee to be Director of National Intelligence, attends his Senate Intelligence Committee confirmation hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington, July 15, 2026.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span class=\"gtOSm FbbUW tUtYa vOCwz EQwFq yCufu eEak Qmvg nyTIa SRXVc vzLa jgBfc WXDas CiUCW kqbG zrdEG txGfn ygKVe BbezD UOtxr CVfpq xijV soGRS XgdC sEIlf daWqJ YNujN JGtjI aZFDu rkKLh \">Aaron Schwartz\/Getty Images<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy \">Following the resignation of previous DNI Tulsi Gabbard in May, President Donald Trump tapped Federal Housing Finance Agency Director Bill Pulte as acting DNI despite his lack of intelligence experience.<\/p>\n<p class=\"EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy \">The move caused all Democrats, with the exception of Sen. John Fetterman, <a class=\"zZygg UbGlr iFzkS qdXbA WCDhQ DbOXS tqUtK GpWVU iJYzE \" data-testid=\"prism-linkbase\" href=\"https:\/\/abcnews.com\/Politics\/trump-picks-jay-clayton-director-national-intelligence\/story?id=133793927\" dir=\"ltr\">to vote against<\/a> moving forward with consideration of the FISA authorization despite the fact that some, including Intelligence Committee Vice Chair Mark Warner, had previously been supportive of FISA reauthorization.<\/p>\n<p class=\"EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy \">Trump&#8217;s appointment of Pulte as acting DNI also frustrated some Republicans, including Majority Leader John Thune, who argued the reauthorization had a bipartisan, bicameral path forward but was derailed due to the timing of Trump&#8217;s announcement.<!-- -->\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy \">&#8220;There have been timing issues around several things that they&#8217;ve done in the last few weeks,&#8221; Thune said of the administration in early June. &#8220;I&#8217;m sure that&#8217;s the, you know, that&#8217;s the conclusion Democrats have drawn, but I still think that, not withstanding their feelings on that, that it&#8217;s irresponsible not to keep this agency going,&#8221; Thune said.<!-- -->\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy \">Then after nominating Clayton, Trump abruptly canceled his confirmation hearing the morning Clayton was set to appear before the Senate Intelligence Committee, arguing that it wouldn&#8217;t be rescheduled until James McDonald, Trump&#8217;s pick to succeed Clayton at the SDNY, was confirmed.<!-- -->\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy \">While some Democrats voiced support for Clayton in the DNI role, when he finally did <a class=\"zZygg UbGlr iFzkS qdXbA WCDhQ DbOXS tqUtK GpWVU iJYzE \" data-testid=\"prism-linkbase\" href=\"https:\/\/abcnews.com\/Politics\/clayton-confirmation-dni-pave-extension-lapsed-key-surveillance\/story?id=134758107\" dir=\"ltr\">appear<\/a> for his confirmation hearing, he refused to say that former President Joe Biden won the 2020 election, instead saying he had been certified as the winner, and raised concerns over his decision to issue subpoenas to several New York Times journalists over their reporting on security concerns involving Trump&#8217;s new Qatari-gifted Air Force One.<\/p>\n<div class=\"oLzSq QrHMO fnRUo pvsTF EhJPu vPlOC zNYgW OsTsW RMeqy daRVX ISNQ sKyCY eRftA acPPc MENS nFwaT MCnQE mEeeY SmBjI xegrY rPLsU iulOd NIuqO zzscu lzDCc aHUBM IEgzD OjMNy eQqcx SVqKB GQmdz jaoD VWDdR ONJdw vrZxD OnRTz gbbfF roDbV GPGwb oMlSS gfNzt oJhud eXZcf zhVlX \">\n<div>\n<div class=\"InlineImage GpQCA lZur asrEW \" data-testid=\"prism-inline-image\">\n<figure class=\"kzIjN GNmeK pYrtp dSqFO \" data-testid=\"prism-figure\">\n<div class=\"GpQCA lZur \" style=\"padding-bottom:68.98148148148148%\" data-testid=\"prism-ratio-frame\">\n<div class=\"FvQLF iLTd NqeUA UzzHi iWsMV \"><picture data-testid=\"prism-picture\"><source media=\"(max-width: 414px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i.abcnewsfe.com\/a\/db3eccf4-96d4-4485-80d4-3796486f1510\/mark-warner-gty-jt-260718_1784387796108_hpMain.jpg?w=375, https:\/\/i.abcnewsfe.com\/a\/db3eccf4-96d4-4485-80d4-3796486f1510\/mark-warner-gty-jt-260718_1784387796108_hpMain.jpg?w=750 2x\"\/><source media=\"(min-width: 415px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i.abcnewsfe.com\/a\/db3eccf4-96d4-4485-80d4-3796486f1510\/mark-warner-gty-jt-260718_1784387796108_hpMain.jpg?w=750, https:\/\/i.abcnewsfe.com\/a\/db3eccf4-96d4-4485-80d4-3796486f1510\/mark-warner-gty-jt-260718_1784387796108_hpMain.jpg?w=1500 2x\"\/><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"\" class=\"hsDdd NDJZt sJeUN IJwXl vBqtr KrDt itslR SjwtZ hakZw HlUVI \" data-testid=\"prism-image\" draggable=\"false\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/i.abcnewsfe.com\/a\/db3eccf4-96d4-4485-80d4-3796486f1510\/mark-warner-gty-jt-260718_1784387796108_hpMain.jpg\"\/><\/picture><\/div>\n<\/div><figcaption>\n<div class=\"nMMea bNYiy Mjgpa dGwha DDmxa jgKNG RGHCC aBIU PriDW aiQHS lZur \" data-testid=\"prism-caption\">\n<p><span class=\"hsDdd OOSI GpQCA lZur VlFaz \" data-testid=\"prism-truncate\"><span><span class=\"gtOSm FbbUW tUtYa vOCwz EQwFq yCufu eEak Qmvg nyTIa SRXVc vzLa jgBfc WXDas CiUCW kqbG zrdEG txGfn ygKVe BbezD UOtxr CVfpq xijV soGRS XgdC sEIlf daWqJ \">Sen. Mark Warner speaks at the confirmation hearing for Jay Clayton before the Senate Intelligence Committee during his nomination hearing on Capitol Hill, on July 15, 2026, in Washington, D.C.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span class=\"gtOSm FbbUW tUtYa vOCwz EQwFq yCufu eEak Qmvg nyTIa SRXVc vzLa jgBfc WXDas CiUCW kqbG zrdEG txGfn ygKVe BbezD UOtxr CVfpq xijV soGRS XgdC sEIlf daWqJ YNujN JGtjI aZFDu rkKLh \">Aaron Schwartz\/Getty Images<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy \">&#8220;I was very disappointed with a number of Mr. Clayton&#8217;s answers &#8212; it&#8217;s not in many ways reflective of the person that I&#8217;ve worked with over the years,&#8221; Warner said as he left the hearing.<!-- -->\u00a0<!-- -->\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy \">&#8220;Some of my initial questions, Clayton said what I wanted to hear in terms of the importance of classification of information, speaking truth to power,&#8221; Warner began, but then said, &#8220;But I was very disappointed.&#8221;<!-- -->\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy \">Last week, Clayton advanced out of committee on a party-line vote as well as during a procedural vote Monday to send his nomination to the Senate floor.<!-- -->\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC eTIW sUzSN \">Despite the partisan breakdown on Clayton&#8217;s nomination, Republicans are still hopeful that his installation could unlock the necessary Democratic support to move forward with a reauthorization of FISA Section 702, which lapsed in mid-June. The Senate may take action on the foreign surveillance program before it goes on its August recess at the end of next week, but with the House already recessed, the program is all but certain to remain dark until at least September.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<script async=\"async\" data-cfasync=\"false\" src=\"https:\/\/pl30214220.effectivecpmnetwork.com\/9ab3d4df8a7e1a6171e16ddbf732cc19\/invoke.js\"><\/script>\r\n<div id=\"container-9ab3d4df8a7e1a6171e16ddbf732cc19\"><\/div>\r\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York Jay Clayton will become the next director of national intelligence after the Senate voted to confirm his nomination following a monthslong stalemate. Clayton&#8217;s nomination was confirmed by a 51-47 party-line vote. Clayton&#8217;s confirmation comes as senators work to renew the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, or FISA,&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":20608,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/i.abcnewsfe.com\/a\/b380dd26-e24e-4c7b-9345-d706f5cccb64\/clayton-4-gty-gmh-260715_1784126042737_hpMain_16x9.jpg?w=1600","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[22],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-20607","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-abc-news"],"brizy_media":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20607","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=20607"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20607\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/20608"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=20607"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=20607"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=20607"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}