Topline
President Donald Trump’s nominee for director of national intelligence, Jay Clayton, refused to say who won the 2020 election—a topic that Trump continues to hammer and is expected to address in a prime-time speech Thursday.
Key Facts
Clayton insisted he is “not an election denier” and said “Joe Biden was certified as the president of the United States” when asked by Sen. Mark Warner, D-Va., if he denies that Joe Biden won the 2020 election.
Sen. Jon Ossoff, D-Ga., also probed Clayton on the topic—asking repeatedly “who won the 2020 election?” to which Clayton replied, “I’m not going to do this with you . . . I’m not going to get into this with you.”
Clayton backed Trump’s ongoing work on elections, telling the committee, “let me just be clear: we have substantial work to do in improving our electoral processes. It’s part of national security, and I feel strongly about that.”
Ossoff fired back, “isn’t it humiliating to be unable to answer this question, to have to indulge the president’s delusions? We know, you know, everybody in this room knows the truthful answer to this question. Why can you not give it?”
The exchange comes as Trump has teased “really, really big news” related to “free and fair elections” in a speech he’s set to deliver Thursday evening.
Clayton’s predecessor, Tulsi Gabbard, was involved in the Trump administration’s ongoing probe of the 2020 election, despite multiple failed attempts by Trump and his campaign to prove he was the true winner.
Chief Critics
Warner and Ossoff are among the Democrats who have expressed alarm about Trump’s purported plans to discuss election fraud in his speech Thursday. Warner said he fears Trump’s speech Thursday “is meant to mislead Americans and lay the groundwork for election interference,” warning not to take his claims “at face value” and instead “follow the facts,” he posted on X. Ossoff wrote “Donald Trump’s spiral continues,” in a post on X, adding, “The failed president, pocketing billions as he drives up prices, is afraid to lose the midterms. So he will reheat debunked election conspiracy theories and tell bizarre new lies to deny his 2020 defeat and attack voting rights.”
Key Background
Trump announced last month he had tapped Clayton as his permanent replacement for Gabbard, who resigned, effective June 19. Clayton is the U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York and former chair of the Securities and Exchange Commission under Trump from 2017-2020. Trump announced Clayton as his nominee amid criticism of interim director Bill Pulte, a Trump loyalist and highly controversial figure in his administration.
Trump Nominates Jay Clayton For Director Of National Intelligence After Interim Pick Pulte Derailed Congress (Forbes)
Trump Teases ‘Really, Really Big News’ In Thursday’s Primetime Speech: Here’s What We Know (Forbes)
Trump Wants Controversial New Acting Intelligence Chief Pulte To Start Firing Staff (Forbes)
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