Warner says Clayton has ‘right temperament’ for DNI role

Sen. Mark Warner (D-Va.) on Sunday said U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York Jay Clayton has the “right temperament” for the role of director of national intelligence amid ongoing concerns with Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) Director Bill Pulte’s temporary appointment.

“I know Jay. I think he’s got the right temperament. I’ve got a lot of questions, like who won the election in 2020, so he at least acknowledges that truthfulness. But remember, Margaret, this was totally caused by Donald Trump,” Warner said during a Sunday appearance on CBS’s “Face the Nation” in regard to the lapse with Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA).

“He could have nominated Jay Clayton a week ago, and we wouldn’t have gone dark,” Warner added.

Some House Republicans and Senate Democrats had earlier blocked an extension of FISA due to Pulte’s nomination.

Warner described Pulte as “grossly unqualified” for the role, echoing his counterparts who raised concerns with the FHFA director’s use of mortgage records to go after President Trump’s political opponents.

The Virginia senator said he intends to question Clayton about his plans for the role and ability to adhere to ethical standards.

“I’ve got questions for Jay, like, want to make sure that he’s going to maintain the integrity of our elections, not try to pull the things that Miss Gabbard did, where she was interfering in domestic election activities with the seizure of the ballots in Fulton County,” Warner said, referencing current Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, who will soon depart from the role.

In March, Warner prodded Gabbard over her presence at an FBI raid at a Georgia election office to seize voting records from 2020, the year Trump has falsely claimed that he won the presidential election.

Warner said he aspires to get Clayton confirmed to replace Gabbard this week, which could bypass Pulte’s temporary appointment set to start on June 19.

“My hope is, if we can get unanimous consent, we could even get him confirmed this week. I would hope that the president would then say to Tulsi Gabbard — who is going to stay till the end of the month — stay at least until Clayton is confirmed, or allow the number two to stay,” he added.

Gabbard originally planned to stay in the role of national intelligence director until June 30, but Trump said Pulte would take over a little more than a week sooner than her planned exit.

Warner says Clayton has ‘right temperament’ for DNI role

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