U.S. Senate expected to confirm Jay Clayton as next Intelligence Director

The Senate is expected to confirm Jay Clayton on Tuesday (July 28, 2026), to become head of the nation’s Intelligence Agencies, ensuring that a permanent Director is in place as the midterm elections approach.

Mr. Clayton is expected to be confirmed along party lines after a contentious hearing two weeks ago in which he repeatedly refused to say that former President Joe Biden won the 2020 election. Still, Democrats have said they have more confidence in Mr. Clayton than they do in Mr. Trump’s temporary pick for the job, Bill Pulte, who has no known intelligence experience and investigated the president’s perceived enemies in his previous post as a Federal housing regulator.

Senators from both parties have expressed concerns about Mr. Pulte, who took over on an interim basis last month after Tulsi Gabbard resigned. Mr. Pulte was in charge when Mr. Trump delivered a speech from the White House earlier this month doubling down on his false claims about the 2020 election, which he lost, and released classified documents that he said were relevant to his arguments.

Virginia Senator Mark Warner, the top Democrat on the Senate intelligence committee, said he had worked in the past with Mr. Clayton, who is the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York and a former Securities and Exchange Commission Chairman. After the hearing, Mr. Warner said he would oppose Mr. Clayton’s nomination but acknowledged that Democrats are ‘between a rock and a hard place’ with Mr. Pulte in the job.

The Senate voted 51-43 along party lines on Monday (July 27, 2026), to advance Mr. Clayton’s nomination.

Clayton won’t say Biden won the election

The Democratic pushback on Mr. Clayton comes as Mr. Trump has made revisiting 2020 a primary focus, repeatedly trying to cast doubt on that election and amplifying debunked theories about Mr. Biden’s win.

Mr. Clayton told Senators that he had no involvement with Mr. Trump’s primetime speech, but he said repeatedly that the election was ‘certified’ for Mr. Biden, declining to say outright that the Democrat won.

Mr. Warner said at the end of the hearing that he was ‘bitterly disappointed.’ Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer said he thought Mr. Clayton’s performance was ‘abysmal,’ and that ‘makes it much less likely that he will get Democratic votes.’

Republicans were hoping to confirm Mr. Clayton in June so he could replace Ms. Gabbard without Mr. Pulte serving as interim. But Mr. Trump delayed Mr. Clayton’s nomination before the Senate left for a two-week recess, allowing Mr. Pulte to take the job temporarily.

Mr. Clayton did not mention Mr. Pulte in the confirmation hearing. But he emphasised his own government and national security experience, attempting to assuage Senators in both parties.

“I saw firsthand how a strong national security apparatus depends on decisive judgment, discipline, integrity, and effective communication and cooperation across different branches of the government,” Mr. Clayton said. “If confirmed as Director of National Intelligence, I will commit to upholding these principles every day.”

Senate Intelligence Committee Chairman Tom Cotton, Republican from Arkansas, who expressed frustration last month when the hearing was delayed, said that Mr. Clayton has a reputation for operating with ‘morality, decency and integrity’ in his previous positions.

“Jay Clayton is a highly qualified nominee with a deep experience combating a wide range of national security threats,” Mr. Cotton said.