The US Senate voted on Tuesday to confirm Jay Clayton as the director of national intelligence. The vote, 51-47, was along party lines, with all Republicans supporting his nomination and all Democrats opposing it.
Mr Clayton, currently the US attorney for the southern district of New York, will replace Bill Pulte, who had been temporarily serving in the role since June. Mr Clayton previously served as the chairman of the Securities and Exchange Commission during Trump’s first term.
During his confirmation hearing on 15 July, Mr Clayton did not directly answer questions about the 2020 election and declined to state that Trump lost it. He also suggested in a June interview on CNBC that there were issues with ballot counting in California, stating, “On the integrity side, we’re doing an absolutely terrible job, and the American people are right to question it.”
Senator Ron Wyden, an Oregon Democrat, spoke against the nomination before the vote, expressing concerns that Mr Clayton was unqualified.