Trump's choice for top US spy role heads toward Senate approval after hearing

If confirmed as director of national intelligence, Clayton would take over a position left empty in June when Tulsi Gabbard resigned following repeated disputes with congressional Democrats.

Jay Clayton, US President Donald Trump's nominee to lead national intelligence efforts, appears before the Senate Intelligence Committee during his confirmation hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington.

(photo credit: Nathan Howard/Reuters)

ByREUTERS

JULY 27, 2026 13:16

The US Senate plans to open voting as soon as Monday on the nomination of Manhattan US Attorney Jay Clayton, President Donald Trump's selection for the nation's top intelligence post, with approval anticipated in the coming days even after a contentious hearing.

Once confirmed, Clayton would assume oversight of the country's 18 intelligence agencies, a post vacated in June by Tulsi Gabbard whose time in office featured ongoing friction with congressional Democrats over claims of political bias and disputed election statements.

Lawmakers expect to conduct a procedural vote Monday evening to move Clayton's nomination forward for the role coordinating national intelligence operations.

The DNI position was established after the September 11, 2001 attacks to better align the nation's extensive intelligence network. Numerous senators want Clayton in place quickly because they remain dissatisfied with interim director Bill Pulte, who also leads the Federal Housing Finance Agency and lacks national security background while reducing agency personnel.

Should Clayton secure a majority in the procedural vote among the 100 senators, a final confirmation vote is likely later in the week. With Republicans holding a 53-47 edge and generally supporting White House priorities, Clayton is projected to gain the needed support even if Democrats oppose him.

Intelligence panel backs Clayton by slim margin for full Senate review

The Senate Intelligence Committee advanced Clayton to the full chamber in a close 9-8 vote on Tuesday.

Only Republican members supported him after he declined multiple times during the hearing to state directly that Trump lost the 2020 election.

Democrats also pressed him on his choice to subpoena New York Times reporters to appear before a grand jury regarding coverage of security issues with Trump's new Qatari-donated Air Force One aircraft.

A prosecutor indicated at a Tuesday court session that the administration would drop the subpoenas following judicial scrutiny of the probe.

"From start to finish, Mr. Clayton has proven himself incapable of telling the truth or demonstrating an iota of independence from Donald Trump. For those reasons, I voted 'no' on his nomination," Oregon Senator Ron Wyden, a senior Democrat on the Intelligence Committee, said in a statement.

Republican panel leader praises nominee as highly qualified

Republican Arkansas Senator Tom Cotton, the committee chair, described Clayton as a "highly qualified nominee with a deep experience combating a wide range of national security threats."

Clayton's confirmation faced early hurdles before the July 15 hearing. In mid-June, Trump suddenly delayed the session in a bid to push Congress toward new voting regulations.

Senators including Cotton initially expected the hearing to proceed on schedule but later confirmed Clayton would not appear after Trump directed him to skip it.