Rump still needs to officially sign the appointment before Clayton is sworn in.Image: keystone
The US Senate has confirmed President Donald Trump’s nominee, Jay Clayton, as the new intelligence chief.
July 29, 2026, 02:49July 29, 2026, 02:49
With a vote of 51 to 47, the members of the majority Republican Chamber of Congress voted for the prosecutor from New York. Trump must formally sign the appointment before Clayton is sworn in. “Jay is outstanding in every way and will do an excellent job as director!” Trump wrote on Truth Social after the Senate confirmation.
The US President had nominated Clayton as the successor to intelligence chief Tulsi Gabbard, who had explained her resignation for family reasons. Her husband is suffering from a rare form of bone cancer. Media outlets had previously reported that Gabbard and Trump’s opinions on the Iran war differed.
Clayton will now succeed Gabbard permanently after criticism of Trump’s interim solution. The Republican had previously named his confidant Bill Pulte, head of the state housing finance authority, as an interim solution. One of the criticisms was that Pulte had no experience in the secret service sector.
Clayton clashed with Democrats at the hearing
At a Senate Intelligence Committee hearing two weeks ago, Clayton drew criticism from opposition Democrats with contradictory statements and hesitant positioning. When asked several times, he initially vehemently refused to clearly name Joe Biden as the winner of the 2020 presidential election. “We have tried countless different ways to give you the opportunity to simply acknowledge that Joe Biden was the president,” lamented Intelligence Committee Vice Chairman Mark Warner.
Trump still does not admit his defeat against the Democrat Biden. He and many of his allies have repeatedly used the narrative that there was fraud in the election. This claim has long been refuted many times.
“You are not being honest or open,” Georgia state Senator Jon Ossoff accused Clayton in the hearing. Clayton replied: “I won’t get involved in this drama.” Only shortly before the end of the hearing did Clayton recognize Biden as the then legitimate President of the USA. (sda/dpa)