TRUMP INTELLIGENCE PICK CLAYTON REFUSES TO AFFIRM BIDEN 2020 WIN

Jay Clayton, the US attorney for the southern district of New York, declined to state that Joe Biden won the 2020 election during his Wednesday Senate confirmation hearing for the position of national intelligence chief. Clayton said instead that Biden was "certified" as president. He also avoided answering questions about his previous statements on election integrity and whether a White House official requested that he subpoena New York Times journalists as part of a purported national security investigation.

If confirmed, Clayton would replace Bill Pulte, whom Donald Trump installed as acting director of national intelligence last month. Pulte's appointment has proved divisive on Capitol Hill, with senators from both parties stating that his background leading a federal mortgage regulation agency lacks sufficient experience for the role, and that his consistent support for Trump and readiness to target the president's political opponents present risks to intelligence agency independence. In his time as acting director, Pulte has dismissed some intelligence officials.

Republicans on the Senate intelligence committee had scheduled Clayton's confirmation hearing last month, only days before Tulsi Gabbard's departure as director of national intelligence. Trump directed Clayton not to appear on the morning of the scheduled hearing, allowing Pulte to assume the acting role. Clayton previously served as chair of the Securities and Exchange Commission during Trump's first term and accumulated wealth as a Wall Street attorney before his 2017 SEC appointment.