{"id":96016,"date":"2026-07-15T14:16:28","date_gmt":"2026-07-15T18:16:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/trumps-spy-nominee-dodges-question-on-whether-biden-won-in-2020\/"},"modified":"2026-07-15T14:16:28","modified_gmt":"2026-07-15T18:16:28","slug":"trumps-spy-nominee-dodges-question-on-whether-biden-won-in-2020","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/trumps-spy-nominee-dodges-question-on-whether-biden-won-in-2020\/","title":{"rendered":"Trump’s Spy Nominee Dodges Question on Whether Biden Won in 2020"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n

WASHINGTON \u2014 President Trump’s nominee to serve as the country’s top intelligence official, Jay Clayton, refused Wednesday to plainly acknowledge that Trump lost the 2020 presidential election to Democrat Joe Biden, even as Democratic senators pushed him repeatedly on the question during his Senate confirmation hearing.<\/p>

Democratic Senator Mark Kelly of Arizona challenged Clayton directly, pointing out that Trump was not present at the hearing. “Trump isn’t in the room today,” Kelly told Clayton. “If you can’t disagree with him when he’s not in the room, are you going to be able to disagree with him when you’re sitting across from him?”<\/p>

Clayton’s only concession was that Biden had been “certified” as president, while insisting, “I am not an election denier.”<\/p>

When Kelly pressed him further \u2014 asking whether the winner of an election is the person certified by Congress who received the most electoral votes \u2014 Clayton responded: “I think that’s your characterization. I’m really, I’m not going to continue.”<\/p>

The exchange escalated into shouting at points during the Senate Intelligence Committee hearing, where Clayton is being considered to serve as director of national intelligence, the president’s chief intelligence adviser and overseer of the 18-agency U.S. intelligence community.<\/p>

The hearing comes as the Trump administration, fueled by the president’s claims that U.S. elections are “rigged” and his ongoing refusal to accept his 2020 loss, has been pushing for greater federal control over elections. Legal experts have warned such efforts would strip power from states in a way that conflicts with the U.S. Constitution.<\/p>

On Thursday night, Trump is scheduled to deliver a national address focused on newly declassified intelligence related to U.S. elections and what the White House describes as vulnerabilities in voting machines.<\/p>

Senators also grilled Clayton about subpoenas he issued Friday in his current role as the U.S. Attorney for Manhattan. Those subpoenas ordered journalists from the New York Times to testify before a federal grand jury following the newspaper’s reporting on security concerns related to Trump’s new Qatari-donated Air Force One.<\/p>

The Times characterized the move as “an extraordinary escalation” in the administration’s efforts to pressure journalists \u2014 a description echoed by several senators. The Justice Department, however, maintained the subpoenas were aimed at officials leaking sensitive information, not at the journalists themselves.<\/p>

Clayton defended the subpoenas, saying they were “in connection with an ongoing national security investigation” and were issued through a “consultative process” involving career prosecutors in his office. “I’m absolutely committed to and respect our First Amendment and the role of the press,” he said, while declining to go into further detail about the case.<\/p>

Senator Mark Warner of Virginia, the committee’s top Democrat, urged Clayton to avoid what Warner described as “repeated attempts” to politicize intelligence \u2014 a pattern he attributed to Clayton’s predecessors in the acting DNI role.<\/p>

Warner also raised concerns about how the current acting DNI, Bill Pulte \u2014 who has held the position for only three weeks and lacks national security and intelligence experience \u2014 would handle the declassification of sensitive election-related intelligence for Thursday’s presidential address. “I just don’t understand how Mr. Pulte \u2026 can end up figuring out what is appropriate or not appropriate (to declassify) since he’s been in the job for only three weeks,” Warner said.<\/p>

Pulte, a close Trump ally who also serves as Federal Housing Finance Agency director, took over the acting DNI role after Tulsi Gabbard departed the position in June. Since taking over, Pulte has announced multiple rounds of staff cuts, as some Republicans have called for the Office of the Director of National Intelligence to be eliminated entirely.<\/p>

Clayton pushed back on that idea, saying there is a need for a “focal point for coordination across the other 17 intelligence agencies,” though he acknowledged the office should “probably pull back” from operational involvement and functions already handled by other agencies.<\/p>

Clayton said he was not involved in preparations for Trump’s Thursday night speech.<\/p>

While Clayton does not have deep traditional intelligence agency experience, he pointed to national security work during his time leading the Securities and Exchange Commission and his current role as Manhattan U.S. Attorney, where he has been overseeing the prosecution of deposed Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro.<\/p>

Wednesday’s hearing was Clayton’s second before the intelligence panel. Trump last month abruptly ordered the postponement of his first hearing in an effort to pressure Congress into passing a package of election restrictions known as the SAVE America Act. That legislation remains stalled, lacking enough Senate votes to advance. Voting rights organizations argue the measure would strip voting access from millions of Americans who lack ready access to passports and birth certificates.<\/p>

Senator Tom Cotton of Arkansas, the committee’s Republican chairman, said he plans to hold a vote on Clayton’s nomination early next week and then send it to the full Senate for consideration.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Jay Clayton, President Trump’s pick to lead the nation’s intelligence community, declined to directly state that Joe Biden won the 2020 presidential election during his Senate confirmation hearing Wednesday. The hearing grew heated as Democratic senators pressed Clayton repeatedly on the issue, with some questioning whether he could stand up to the president if confirmed. A committee vote on his nomination is expected early next week.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":96015,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[833],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-96016","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-politics"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/news-1784139388489.jpg?fit=450%2C300&ssl=1","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pbtNqq-oYE","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":92532,"url":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/senate-to-hold-confirmation-hearing-for-intelligence-director-nominee-jay-clayton-on-july-15\/","url_meta":{"origin":96016,"position":0},"title":"Senate to Hold Confirmation Hearing for Intelligence Director Nominee Jay Clayton on July 15","author":"Admin","date":"July 8, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"The Senate Select Committee on Intelligence has scheduled a confirmation hearing for Jay Clayton, President Trump's pick to lead the nation's intelligence community, for July 15. Clayton was nominated last month to oversee the country's 18 intelligence agencies. The hearing comes after weeks of political controversy surrounding the nomination process.","rel":"","context":"In "Politics"","block_context":{"text":"Politics","link":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/category\/politics\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/news-1783484163833.jpg?fit=450%2C300&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":82878,"url":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/senate-battle-brews-over-trumps-intelligence-nominee-jay-clayton\/","url_meta":{"origin":96016,"position":1},"title":"Senate Battle Brews Over Trump’s Intelligence Nominee Jay Clayton","author":"Admin","date":"June 17, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"Senate Republicans are pushing for a quick confirmation vote on Jay Clayton, President Trump's pick to lead the nation's intelligence community, while Democrats say they want to wait until his hearing before making any decisions. Clayton, who currently serves as the top federal prosecutor in Manhattan, was nominated less than\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Politics"","block_context":{"text":"Politics","link":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/category\/politics\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/news-1781691586251.jpg?fit=450%2C300&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":95786,"url":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/senate-set-to-question-trumps-intelligence-pick-after-weeks-of-delays\/","url_meta":{"origin":96016,"position":2},"title":"Senate Set to Question Trump’s Intelligence Pick After Weeks of Delays","author":"Admin","date":"July 15, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"Jay Clayton, President Trump's nominee to lead the nation's intelligence agencies, is scheduled to appear before the Senate Intelligence Committee on Wednesday. The hearing comes weeks after Trump unexpectedly postponed Clayton's nomination, allowing interim appointee Bill Pulte to take the role. Both Republicans and some Democrats have pushed for a\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Politics"","block_context":{"text":"Politics","link":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/category\/politics\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/news-1784090010308.jpg?fit=1000%2C666&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/news-1784090010308.jpg?fit=1000%2C666&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/news-1784090010308.jpg?fit=1000%2C666&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/news-1784090010308.jpg?fit=1000%2C666&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":82925,"url":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/trump-calls-for-delay-in-jay-clayton-intelligence-nomination-hearing\/","url_meta":{"origin":96016,"position":3},"title":"Trump Calls for Delay in Jay Clayton Intelligence Nomination Hearing","author":"Admin","date":"June 17, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"President Trump is asking for a delay in the Senate confirmation process for Jay Clayton, his pick to serve as Director of National Intelligence. The Senate had been scheduled to begin Clayton's confirmation hearing today. No reason for the requested delay was immediately provided.","rel":"","context":"In "Politics"","block_context":{"text":"Politics","link":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/category\/politics\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/news-1781696788855-scaled.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/news-1781696788855-scaled.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/news-1781696788855-scaled.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/news-1781696788855-scaled.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/news-1781696788855-scaled.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":82850,"url":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/trump-puts-intel-nominee-on-hold-demands-voter-id-bill-from-congress\/","url_meta":{"origin":96016,"position":4},"title":"Trump Puts Intel Nominee on Hold, Demands Voter ID Bill From Congress","author":"Admin","date":"June 17, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"President Trump announced Wednesday he is pausing Jay Clayton's nomination to lead the U.S. intelligence community, using it as leverage to push Congress on a voter ID bill. Trump says he will keep acting director Bill Pulte in place and is now tying approval of a key surveillance program to\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Politics"","block_context":{"text":"Politics","link":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/category\/politics\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/news-1781688742561.jpg?fit=1000%2C666&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/news-1781688742561.jpg?fit=1000%2C666&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/news-1781688742561.jpg?fit=1000%2C666&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/news-1781688742561.jpg?fit=1000%2C666&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":80162,"url":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/trump-picks-jay-clayton-for-intelligence-director-role\/","url_meta":{"origin":96016,"position":5},"title":"Trump Picks Jay Clayton for Intelligence Director Role","author":"Admin","date":"June 11, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"President Donald Trump announced Thursday his intention to nominate Jay Clayton, currently serving as U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York, to lead the nation's intelligence community. The nomination comes as Congress pressures the administration to fill the position permanently following last month's resignation.","rel":"","context":"In "Politics"","block_context":{"text":"Politics","link":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/category\/politics\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/news-1781203085320.jpg?fit=1000%2C562&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/news-1781203085320.jpg?fit=1000%2C562&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/news-1781203085320.jpg?fit=1000%2C562&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/news-1781203085320.jpg?fit=1000%2C562&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/96016","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=96016"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/96016\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/96015"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=96016"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=96016"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=96016"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}