Latest / DEEP INSIGHT / Highlights from Jay Clayton's confirmation hearing for director of national intelligence

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Highlights from Jay Clayton's confirmation hearing for director of national intelligence · DEEP INSIGHT

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  Speaker 1: Earlier today, the Intelligence Committee interview Jay Clayton, President Trump's
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  Speaker 1: pick to be the next Director of National Intelligence. Clayton
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  Speaker 1: would succeed Bill Poulty, president Trump's controversial choice to fill
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  Speaker 1: in temporarily following the resignation of Toulci Gabbard. Let's go
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  Speaker 1: ahead and bring in CBS News congressional reporter Torrian small So.
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  Speaker 1: One subject that kept coming up is the reltigation of
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  Speaker 1: the twenty twenty election, where multiple senators asked Clayton who won.
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  Speaker 1: And I'm not sure that we got a yes or
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  Speaker 1: no answer from him, or an exact answer. It sort
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  Speaker 1: of seemed like he tried to avoid having to answer
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  Speaker 1: that question.
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  Speaker 2: Sure, and I think that's been the through line for
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  Speaker 2: Democrats when it comes to these Trump appointments. Right time
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  Speaker 2: and time again, they've used the same prompt, did Joe
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  Speaker 2: Biden win the twenty twenty election? And as we saw
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  Speaker 2: with Clayton and this hearing, they were very unsatisfied with
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  Speaker 2: his very measured and calculated response. He says, Joe Biden
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  Speaker 2: was certified, similar to what we've been hearing from other
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  Speaker 2: Trump appointees. The problem with that, though, is Democrats are
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  Speaker 2: making the case or underscoring that these people put in
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  Speaker 2: these very high ranking agencies and departments are in line
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  Speaker 2: with the President, further underscoring their concern that there isn't
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  Speaker 2: an era of independence to these departments and agencies. As
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  Speaker 2: it relates to Clayton, he said flat out that he's
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  Speaker 2: not an election denier when asked that question by Senator Warner,
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  Speaker 2: but it was a back and forth with Senator also
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  Speaker 2: that got especially heated when he refused to restate his
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  Speaker 2: previously said answer, which was he believes that Joe Biden
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  Speaker 2: was certified, not necessarily that Joe Biden won. Other really
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  Speaker 2: standout moments during this hearing was a back and forth
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  Speaker 2: with Senator Wyden and Clayton when Widen pressed him on
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  Speaker 2: his signing of subpoena for four New York Times journalists
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  Speaker 2: for reporting on the vulnerabilities associated with the new Air Force,
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  Speaker 2: one that was gifted from Kutter. This was one that
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  Speaker 2: Clayton really didn't want to answer, saying that this is
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  Speaker 2: a matter of a national security investigation, but when pressed
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  Speaker 2: on this, he said that he does respect the First Amendment.
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  Speaker 2: Wyden left that hearing pretty early before it adjourned, and
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  Speaker 2: he told the press he told us that he was
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  Speaker 2: very unhappy with this answer in his back and forth
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  Speaker 2: with Clayton on this, saying that he essentially flunked his
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  Speaker 2: answers when it comes to his questions. He was asked
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  Speaker 2: whether or not he would support Clayton for his confirmation,
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  Speaker 2: ultimately voting on him, and while he didn't say no,
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  Speaker 2: he again reiterated that he felt that he did not
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  Speaker 2: answer sufficiently to quote any concerns he had about him.
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  Speaker 1: All right, let's circle back to what we're talking about
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  Speaker 1: in terms of twenty twenty. Let's go ahead and listen
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  Speaker 1: to an exchange between Senator Alsoff and Clayton.
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  Speaker 3: Yes or no? Did the President of the United States
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  Speaker 3: pardon a convict narco trafficker?
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  Speaker 4: Yes?
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  Speaker 3: Who won the twenty twenty election?
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  Speaker 4: You know what, I'm not going to do this with you.
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  Speaker 3: You refuse to answer a basic question about who won
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  Speaker 3: a presidential election, but you asked to lead America's intelligence community.
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  Speaker 3: Isn't it humiliating to be unable to answer this question,
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  Speaker 3: to have to indulge the president's delusions? We know you
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  Speaker 3: know everybody in this room knows the truthful answer to
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  Speaker 3: that question.
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  Speaker 4: Why can you not give it? I think I gave
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  Speaker 4: you the answer.
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  Speaker 3: Are you aware that Director Gabbard was president at the
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  Speaker 3: Fulton County Raid in Georgia earlier this year?
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  Speaker 4: You discussed that with me yesterday in your office.
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  Speaker 3: The first time you learned but Director Gabbard was president
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  Speaker 3: at that raid was in my office yesterday.
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  Speaker 4: It was the first time that in my Recorlle, I've
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  Speaker 4: thought about it recently. Now was I aware of it before?
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  Speaker 4: What you? I mean you brought it to my attention yesterday.
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  Speaker 3: You had not known.
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  Speaker 4: I had not thought about it until you brought it
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  Speaker 4: to my attention.
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  Speaker 3: Yet your answers lack credibility, Your testimony lacks credibility. You're
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  Speaker 3: being evasive and you're not being candid or forthright. And
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  Speaker 3: everybody across the country is going to watch this and
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  Speaker 3: know that.
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  Speaker 1: So certainly a spicy moment there, given what we're hearing.
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  Speaker 1: What are his chances of being confirmed here?
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  Speaker 2: Well, it's curious, I mean, we haven't really seen any
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  Speaker 2: major pushback from Republicans. Even though they have a majority,
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  Speaker 2: it's still quite thin. So one or two defectors could
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  Speaker 2: essentially squash his chances from getting across or for getting across.
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  Speaker 2: The finish line. The thing about this, though, is the
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  Speaker 2: reason why he's testifying today is because President Trump interfered
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  Speaker 2: in this process. He was set to go before this
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  Speaker 2: panel a month ago, and there was seemingly a bipartisan
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  Speaker 2: appetite i advance him and confirm him sooner than later
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  Speaker 2: because of his interim or his predecessor's interim replacement in
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  Speaker 2: Bill Poulti, who has no experience or background in the
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  Speaker 2: intel community. That was or calls for concern from both
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  Speaker 2: Republicans and Democrats, which is why they were looking to
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  Speaker 2: fast struck him. They were also looking to quickly pass
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  Speaker 2: forth legislation that will reauthorize some very significant portions of FAIZA,
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  Speaker 2: a national or tool used for the intel community when
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  Speaker 2: it comes to surveillance. That was ultimately put on hold
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  Speaker 2: because President Trump wanted sended Republicans to advance the Save
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  Speaker 2: America Act, his national Voter ID law, as well as
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  Speaker 2: concurrently confirm his replacement Clayton's replacement in.
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  Speaker 4: His current role.
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  Speaker 2: Now that there's in some time, Democrats are having an
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  Speaker 2: opportunity to thoroughly grill him. We're seeing a lot more
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  Speaker 2: of those Democrats come out and say that they are
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  Speaker 2: uncertain about his futures, even though we haven't heard from
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  Speaker 2: Republicans yet addressing any concerns or reservations that they have
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  Speaker 2: about Clayton's confirmation.
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  Speaker 1: Okay, Torian Small, a busy day on Capitol Hill. Thank you,