Jay Clayton has promised to assess what resources are needed in the cybersecurity space if he becomes the next director of national intelligence (DNI), simultaneously as President Donald Trump issued a fiery speech warning Americans with claims of “vulnerabilities” in election infrastructure.
Clayton, the U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York and former chair of the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), appeared before the Senate Intelligence Committee on July 15 for a hearing to decide whether he will assume the role.
If he is ultimately approved, through a chamber held by a narrow GOP majority, it would give him control of 18 intelligence agencies.
Clayton was nominated after interim DNI Bill Pulte was met with widespread criticism over his appointment due, in part, to his lack of experience in the intelligence field and possessing a housing background.
Pulte’s predecessor, Tulsi Gabbard, resigned from the role in May after revealing her husband’s cancer diagnosis.
‘Significant Concern’
During Wednesday’s hearing, Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.) asked the DNI hopeful about measures he would take to improve cybersecurity to stop foreign interference in elections.
She said that Trump’s administration had eliminated personnel who were involved in overseeing the election process from cyberthreats from the DNI, calling it concerning. Clayton seemed to agree.
“It is a significant concern of mine,” Clayton said. “Cybersecurity has been part of my private sector and public sector practice for well over a decade, going on close to two decades.”
“I can commit to making an assessment and to the extent that more resources are needed, or more focus is needed, or more coordination is needed,” he added, promising to continue a “dialogue” with Gillibrand on the issue.
The election conversation and concerns evoked by Trump and lawmakers on Capitol Hill do not come without pretense.
Former DNI Gabbard in August 2025 announced plans to cut the agency’s staff by almost 50%. Among the cuts were units that track cyber threats. Her explanation was that such work could be done by another intelligence unit.
Fast forward to July 16, 2026, Trump claimed, without evidence, that China had illicitly acquired U.S. voter files during the 2020 election. He cited declassified intelligence files and also said China bought data in 18 states. China denied the claims.
It was the latest iteration of Trump’s much-made claim, without evidence, that his 2020 election loss to former President Joe Biden was rigged. Trump, of course, won the 2016 and 2024 elections and no controversy has surrounded either election in Republican or Democratic corners.
He also said that U.S. voting machines are “extremely exposed” to foreign states like Russia, China and Iran.
Clayton, asked repeatedly by Democrats on the committee earlier this week about who won the 2020 election, often fumbled his words and even at times said he would not engage with what he deemed to be political ploys.
He refused to say that former president Joe Biden won the 2020 election. He instead said that Biden was “certified” as president.
Clayton also could not “say definitely” whether there was a problem with voter fraud in the U.S.
Sen. Jon Ossoff (D-Ga.) told Clayton that it must be “humiliating” to not be able to answer a simple question.
It remains to be seen how Clayton will respond to the issues Trump raised in his speech, and whether it will influence the course he charts.
Clayton’s Plan as DNI
Clayton outlined the values he would uphold if confirmed to the DNI position.
“I saw firsthand how a strong national security apparatus depends on decisive judgment, discipline, integrity, and effective communication and cooperation across different branches of the government,” Clayton said in his opening statement. “If confirmed as director of national intelligence, I will commit to upholding these principles every day.”
Clayton also commented on the issue of New York Times reporters receiving subpoenas after reporting on security concerns about a new Air Force One that was gifted to Trump by Qatar.
The publication’s reporters were ordered to appear before a grand jury on Wednesday to testify “in regard to an alleged violation of federal criminal law.”
“Let me say that I am confident that the procedures that we have in place to protect the First Amendment and protect the freedom of the press, and not result in intimidation of journalists,” Clayton said, refusing to comment on the specifics of the investigation.
Clayton first received Trump’s nomination to lead the nation’s 18 intelligence agencies in June, but a hearing was abruptly canceled when the president publicly said he wanted Congress to first act on the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) in addition to pushing through voter ID legislation as part of the SAVE Act.
Trump, again, pushed the SAVE Act during his national address on Thursday. Some news networks refused to air the speech.
The committee is expected to vote on Clayton’s nomination next week. If they advance his nomination, the entire Senate will then vote on his confirmation.
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