Clayton’s FISA Leverage & Trump’s South Carolina Test

A rocky hearing hasn’t stopped Jay Clayton’s advance toward intelligence chief—and his confirmation could unblock the FISA surveillance tool Democrats have held up. Meanwhile, a crowd is forming to replace Lindsey Graham in South Carolina, where Trump’s endorsement of the senator’s sister is testing his grip on the party.

Jay Clayton departs following his confirmation hearing on Capitol Hill, July 2026. Photo: Aaron Schwartz/Getty Images

Leigh Ann Caldwell

July 21, 2026

Jay Clayton, the latest Trump nominee for director of national intelligence, had a less-than-stellar hearing last week—he pleaded ignorance about former D.N.I. Tulsi Gabbard’s presence during the F.B.I. raid on voting machines in Fulton County, Georgia, and refused to say whether Joe Biden won the 2024 election (giving Sen. Jon Ossoff’s reelection campaign yet another viral clip). Nevertheless, he took another step forward today as the Senate Intelligence Committee advanced his nomination along a party-line vote. The full Senate is expected to vote next week.