Mark Warner says he'll vote against Trump pick Jay Clayton as DNI
Sen. Mark Warner said he'll vote against Jay Clayton as director of national intelligence, citing disappointment in his testimony at a confirmation hearing last week despite his previous optimism about the nominee.
"I've known Jay for a long time. I like Jay. I worked well with him when he was at the SEC. But I was bitterly disappointed by his performance in front of my committee," Warner said on "Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan ."
Clayton, who was the well-regarded leader of the U.S. Attorney's Office in one of the highest-profile jurisdictions in the country, was nominated by Mr. Trump to replace Tulsi Gabbard. Clayton appeared before the Senate Intelligence Committee last week for his confirmation hearing. Warner, the top Democrat on the committee, said he was disappointed in Clayton's responses, "not just from my questions, but from many of my colleagues."
During the hearing, Clayton was repeatedly asked by Democrats about the results of the 2020 election. And although Clayton acknowledged that former President Joe Biden was certified as president, and said that he is "not an election denier," he evaded questions about who won the 2020 election.
Warner also pointed to Clayton's response when he was asked about Gabbard's presence at an FBI search of an elections hub in Fulton County, Georgia, earlier this year, saying he was "acting like he didn't understand what Gabbard had done."
"So I will be voting against Jay Clayton," Warner said.