The US Senate has advanced the nomination of Manhattan US Attorney Jay Clayton to serve as director of national intelligence, moving the confirmation process closer to a final vote.
Senators voted 51–43 on Monday to invoke closure on Clayton's nomination, clearing a key procedural hurdle that limits debate and paves the way for a confirmation vote in the coming days.
The vote was along party lines, with President Donald Trump's Republicans backing his nominee and members of the Democratic caucus voting no.
If approved to lead the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI), Clayton would coordinate the nation's 18 intelligence agencies and serve as the president's principal intelligence adviser.
The role was vacated in June when Tulsi Gabbard stepped down.
Bipartisan friction
Many senators have been eager for Clayton to take up the post because they are unhappy with the interim director, Federal Housing Finance Agency Director Bill Pulte, with little national security experience.
Now that Clayton has won a majority on the procedural vote, a final confirmation vote is expected later in the week.
The Senate Intelligence Committee recommended Clayton to the full Senate in a narrow 9–8 vote last week.
He received yes votes only from panel Republicans after refusing to directly acknowledge that Trump lost the 2020 presidential election during his confirmation hearing.
Clayton also faced questioning from Democrats about his decision to issue subpoenas ordering New York Times journalists to testify before a federal grand jury after reporting on security concerns involving Trump's new Air Force One plane.
A prosecutor said at a court hearing last week that the administration would withdraw the subpoenas.
