Topline
President Donald Trump’s nominee for director of national intelligence, Jay Clayton, refused to say who won the 2020 election—a topic that Trump continues to hammer and is expected to address in a prime-time speech Thursday.
Jay Clayton appears before the Senate Intelligence Committee during his confirmation hearing on Capitol Hill July 15, 2026 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Aaron Schwartz/Getty Images)
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Key Facts
Clayton insisted he is “not an election denier” and said “Joe Biden was certified as the president of the United States” when asked by Sen. Mark Warner, D-Va., if he denies that Joe Biden won the 2020 election.
Sen. Jon Ossoff, D-Ga., also probed Clayton on the topic—asking repeatedly “who won the 2020 election?” to which Clayton replied, “I’m not going to do this with you . . . I’m not going to get into this with you.”
Ossoff fired back, “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 this question. Why can you not give it?”
The exchange comes as Trump has teased “really, really big news” related to “free and fair elections” in a speech he’s set to deliver Thursday evening.
Clayton’s predecessor, Tulsi Gabbard, was involved in the Trump administration’s ongoing probe of the 2020 election, despite multiple failed attempts by Trump and his campaign to prove he was the true winner.
This is a developing story and will be updated.