Kelly presses DNI pick on 2020 answers as Arizona officials seek clear, apolitical briefings

Arizona Sen. Mark Kelly pressed director of national intelligence nominee Jay Clayton on Wednesday for refusing to say outright that Donald Trump lost the 2020 election, according to Cronkite News. Kelly warned that hedging on settled facts raises doubts about whether Clayton would resist political pressure inside the Situation Room.

For Arizona’s counties and cities that actually administer elections, the consequence is simple. If the next DNI blurs lines for politics, public threat briefings and confidence in voting systems get dragged into the fog. Under federal law, intelligence agencies do not run elections. States and local governments do, Cronkite reported.

Kelly asked whether Clayton could disagree with the president face to face if he would not do it from the witness table. Clayton responded that Congress certified Joe Biden’s victory but said he would not “engage in the theater,” Cronkite reported.

Other Democrats were similarly blunt. Sen. Jon Ossoff called Clayton’s answers evasive and asked repeatedly if Biden won in 2020. Kelly said the DNI job is about delivering hard truths because people risk their lives to collect that information, according to Cronkite.

Clayton also faced questions about subpoenas his Manhattan office delivered to New York Times reporters over stories on security shortcomings with the new Air Force One, a plane Cronkite reported was gifted by Qatar. Clayton said his office followed protocol and consulted the Justice Department, Cronkite reported.

Ossoff pressed Clayton on former DNI Tulsi Gabbard joining an FBI raid of a Fulton County election office in January. Cronkite noted the DNI has no authority over election administration. Clayton said he had not thought about the episode until Ossoff raised it. Ossoff was incredulous, citing Gabbard’s March testimony that she attended at Trump’s direction.

Republicans focused on the structure and mission of the Office of the DNI. Committee chair Tom Cotton called the office bloated, while Sen. Susan Collins said she was deeply disturbed by talk of downsizing or terminating a role Congress created after 9-11 to coordinate intelligence, according to Cronkite. Gabbard cut nearly half the ODNI staff, and acting DNI Bill Pulte has since fired dozens more, Cronkite reported.

Pulte, who leads the Federal Housing Finance Agency and has no intelligence background, has served as acting DNI since June 19 to the dismay of senators in both parties, Cronkite reported. Cronkite, citing NBC News, also reported Pulte used his housing post to push for criminal investigations of Trump critics.

Cronkite reported the White House previously canceled a planned Clayton vote to press for the SAVE America Act, which would require citizenship proof at registration and photo ID at the polls. Trump is set to address the nation Thursday on election security and voting machines and has hinted at foreign interference evidence not yet shared publicly. Clayton said he is not involved in that speech, according to Cronkite.

The Intelligence Committee is expected to vote on Clayton early next week. Republicans hold a 9 to 8 advantage on the panel and a narrow Senate majority, Cronkite reported. However the stakes for Arizona remain local. County and municipal officials run our elections in public view. If Washington makes big claims, Arizonans deserve clear, sourced briefings in the sunlight, not more theater.

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