Donald Trump’s new pick for Director of National Intelligence was left squirming uncomfortably when confronted about who won the 2020 election.
Jay Clayton appeared before the Senate Intelligence Committee for his confirmation hearing to become the next spy chief on Wednesday, but he refused to answer the election question in a cringeworthy exchange with Democratic Sen Jon Ossoff.
Clayton, 60, is the U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York. Trump tapped him to replace acting DNI Bill Pulte, pending Senate approval, but he completely shut down when pressed by Ossoff.
“Who won the 2020 election?” Ossoff, 39, asked him.
“I’m not going to do this with you,” Clayton said, throwing up his hand.
“This is a job interview. We’ve established that you have an obligation to be honest and forthright with the committee. Yes? You have an obligation to be honest and forthright with the committee?” Ossoff fired back.
“Yes,” Clayton said.
“Who won the 2020 election?” Ossoff repeated.
“Like I said, I’m not going to get into that with you,” the Trump nominee responded.
“But you do have an obligation to be honest and forthright with the committee?” Ossoff pushed back.
“Is anything that I just said not honest or forthright?” Clayton asked.
“Yes, you’re not being ‘honest or forthright,’” Ossoff said without skipping a beat.
The pair then spoke over each other with the senator repeating, “Who won the 2020 election?” as Clayton claimed, “I think I answered the question.”
“We can keep doing this,” Clayton finished with a shrug.
“Well, we’re going to keep doing it because you’re not being honest or forthright with the committee,” Ossoff said, deadly calm.
“No, I’m not going to engage in the theater,” Clayton said.
“It’s a simple question, Mr. Clayton, who won the 2020 presidential election?” Ossoff repeated.
Clayton insisted that he had already answered sufficiently.
“You’re here asking for the support of senators to lead America’s intelligence community. We’ve established that you have an obligation to be honest and forthright with this committee and with the American public, but you refuse to answer a simple matter of fact about the 2020 election, is that right?” Ossoff asked.
“No, that’s not right,” Clayton said.
“Then answer the question,” Ossoff responded. “Who won the 2020 election?”
“I have answered,” Clayton repeated.
“Answer it,” Ossoff said. “What is your answer?”
“I’ve given you my answer,” Clayton said.
“What is your answer?” Ossoff repeated.
Clayton then turned away from the Georgia Democrat in silence.
“You refuse to answer a basic question about who won a presidential election, but you ask to lead America’s intelligence community?” the senator said. “Isn’t it humiliating to be unable to answer this question? To have to indulge the president’s delusions?”
“We know, you know, everybody in this room knows the truthful answer to that question,” Ossoff continued. “Why can you not give it?”
“I think I gave you the answer,” Clayton repeated softly as the room fell silent.
Ossoff’s sharp questioning quickly received praise as it went viral online. But he was not the only Democratic senator whom Clayton tried to give the runaround on the 2020 election.
“Do you deny that Joe Biden won the 2020 election?” Ranking Member Mark Warner asked earlier in the hearing.
“Senator, I’m not an election denier. Joe Biden was certified as the president of the United States,” Clayton said, though he did not specify that he believes Biden fairly won.
“Let me just be clear, we have substantial work to do, and I made it, in improving our electoral processes,” Clayton said.
When it was Democratic Sen. Mark Kelly’s turn, he asked Clayton to share why Biden was certified as the winner of the 2020 election.
“I really, uhh, I’m going back to my constitutional law here, but I don’t want to continue to have a debate about this, but I believe he had the most electoral votes,” Clayton said.
“So he won the election?” Kelly quipped.
Clayton laughed awkwardly as he said, “He followed our process, had the most electoral votes, was declared the winner.”
“And who has the most electoral votes?” Kelly pressed. “Is it the person that wins or?”
“I think that’s your characterization,” Clayton said. “I really, I’m not going to continue to do this.”
Kelly said the line of questioning was important for the job Clayton was nominated for because “it seems that folks who are nominated for these positions just fundamentally refuse to disagree with something the president says.”
“The problem I have with this is he isn’t in the room today. You’re going to be in a room with him many times, and at times you should have a difference of opinion, and 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 in the Oval Office or the Situation Room?” Kelly asked.
Kelly said the job is about delivering information and making sure the president understands that information.
