Senate confirms Jay Clayton as Trump’s next intelligence chief

Washington — The Senate on Tuesday confirmed Jay Clayton to lead the nation’s intelligence agencies in a party-line vote that could be the key to unlock a path forward on a key surveillance authority that lapsed more than six weeks ago. 

The Senate voted 51 to 47 to install Clayton as director of national intelligence. He replaces Bill Pulte, a controversial housing official with no intelligence experience whom President Trump appointed to the role temporarily. The appointment led Democrats to walk away from a bipartisan deal to reauthorize a warrantless spy tool known as Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act. 

“I hope this will encourage my colleagues to stop blocking reauthorization of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act,” Senate Majority Leader John Thune, a South Dakota Republican, said Monday on the Senate floor. 

Democrats initially praised the selection of Clayton, who was until recently the U.S. attorney in Manhattan, to oversee the intelligence community. Mr. Trump announced the pick just hours before Section 702 was set to expire in mid-June, and Republicans moved quickly to confirm him as they tried to break the stalemate on the spy authority. But Mr. Trump upended those plans shortly before he was set to appear for his confirmation hearing last month, surprising Republicans. 

Clayton appeared before the Senate Intelligence Committee — about a month later than originally planned — on July 15, where he declined to say outright that former President Joe Biden won the 2020 election, angering Democrats. Clayton repeatedly said Biden was “certified” as the president. 

Even with Clayton confirmed, an extension of the spy statute is likely to remain lapsed for a while longer. The Senate is scheduled to be in town through next week and isn’t expected to return before Sept. 14. The House is already on a five-week recess and is scheduled to be back in Washington on Aug. 31.