WASHINGTON (AP) 鈥� The Senate Intelligence Committee has advanced the nomination of , President Donald Trump鈥檚 pick to head the nation鈥檚 intelligence agencies, along party lines.
The 9-8 vote came after some Democrats had praised Clayton and indicated that they might vote for him. But that shifted after a in which Clayton repeatedly refused to say that former President Joe Biden won the 2020 election.
Virginia Sen. Mark Warner, the top Democrat on the panel, said during the hearing that he was 鈥渂itterly disappointed鈥� in Clayton, the U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York and a former Securities and Exchange Commission chairman, even though he had worked with him in the past.
The committee鈥檚 approval sets up a floor vote on Clayton鈥檚 nomination, potentially early next week. The vote took place behind closed doors, as is customary for the panel, and all Democrats voted against Clayton, according to a person familiar with the vote who requested anonymity to disclose it.
Democrats are unlikely to allow Republicans to speed up a vote on the nomination after the hearing, at which Clayton said many times that the election was 鈥渃ertified鈥� for Biden, declining to say outright that the Democrat won.
But Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer said after the hearing that he thought Clayton鈥檚 performance was 鈥渁bysmal,鈥� and that 鈥渕akes it much less likely that he will get Democratic votes.鈥�
Democrats push back as Trump focuses on 2020
The Democratic pushback on Clayton comes as Trump has made revisiting the 2020 election, which he , a primary focus. On Thursday evening, he in which he again tried to cast doubts on that election and about Biden鈥檚 win. Clayton told senators that he had no involvement with that speech.
Senators in both parties about the interim director, Bill Pulte, who took over when Tulsi Gabbard . Pulte has no known intelligence experience and investigated the president鈥檚 perceived enemies in his previous post as a federal housing regulator.
Republicans were hoping to confirm Clayton in June so he could replace Gabbard without Pulte serving as interim. But Trump before the Senate left for a two-week recess, allowing Pulte to take the job temporarily.
Clayton did not mention Pulte in the hearing. But he emphasized his own government and national security experience, attempting to assuage senators in both parties.
鈥淚 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,鈥� Clayton said in his opening statement. 鈥淚f confirmed as Director of National Intelligence, I will commit to upholding these principles every day.鈥�
Cotton, who expressed frustration last month when the hearing was delayed, said that Clayton has a reputation for operating with 鈥渕orality, decency and integrity鈥� in his previous positions.
鈥淛ay Clayton is a highly qualified nominee with a deep experience combatting a wide range of national security threats. I鈥檓 pleased that the Senate Intelligence Committee voted to advance his nomination to be Director of National Intelligence,鈥� Cotton said in a statement on Tuesday.
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