Clayton Sidesteps 2020 Question at Intel Chief Hearing
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- Jay Clayton, Trump's nominee for the nation's top intelligence official, evaded directly stating that Trump lost the 2020 election during his Senate confirmation hearing
- Clayton said only that Biden had been "certified" as president and added "I am not an election denier"
Why it matters: The person nominated to oversee the entire US intelligence community declined to affirm a basic, certified factual outcome of the last presidential election. Senators weighing his confirmation must now decide whether that evasion is disqualifying for a role that shapes how election-related threats and foreign interference are assessed.
