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Progressive groups are<\/span> demanding that Democrats on the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence oppose Jay Clayton\u2019s nomination as director of national intelligence, pointing to his role in an attempt to intimidate the New York Times over critical reporting on the Trump administration.<\/p>\n Some key Democrats, however, have so far not committed to opposing President Donald Trump\u2019s nominee for the nation\u2019s top intelligence job.<\/p>\n Clayton, who serves as the top federal prosecutor in the Southern District of New York, signed the subpoenas<\/a> sent Friday that targeted New York Times journalists for their reporting on serious security flaws in the Qatari-donated<\/a> Air Force One jet.<\/p>\n \u201cIt seems Jay Clayton is up to his eyeballs in sending intimidation subpoenas to reporters.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/figure>\n Two Democrats on the intelligence committee did not indicate whether the subpoenas were a dealbreaker for Clayton\u2019s nomination, which is set to be the subject of a Wednesday hearing.<\/p>\n Sen. Mark Warner, D-Va., the vice chair of the committee, has not said whether he intends to vote in favor of Clayton\u2019s nomination. He previously praised<\/a> Clayton for having the \u201cright temperament\u201d when Trump tapped him, but has said he still wants to press the prosecutor about whether he will use the DNI post to pursue Trump\u2019s 2020 election obsession.<\/p>\n Asked for comment about the subpoenas Tuesday, Warner said he anticipated that Clayton would be quizzed about the matter during his hearing.<\/p>\n \u201cI think it\u2019s important that we stand up for the independence of the press,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n When asked by The Intercept whether the subpoenas were disqualifying for Clayton\u2019s nomination, fellow intelligence committee member Sen. Mark Kelly, D-Ariz., said, \u201cI\u2019ve got questions about it.\u201d<\/p>\n The cautious position staked out by the Democrats stood in sharp contrast to that<\/a> of Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., the committee\u2019s longest serving member and a frequent skeptic<\/a> of the intelligence agencies<\/a> when it comes to civil liberties<\/a>. In a social media post Sunday, Wyden noted that federal agents hand-delivered some of the subpoenas to the reporters who co-authored the article.<\/p>\n \u201cIt seems Jay Clayton is up to his eyeballs in sending intimidation subpoenas to reporters and armed thugs to their homes,\u201d Wyden said. \u201cThis is not acceptable in a DNI.\u201d<\/p>\n The subpoenas came at an awkward moment for some Democrats in Congress aligned with the intelligence community. Those Democrats, including Connecticut Rep. Jim Himes<\/a>, the ranking member of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, had hoped to swiftly confirm Clayton in order to cut short the temporary appointment of housing czar<\/a> Bill Pulte as director of national intelligence.<\/p>\n Clayton was seen by Democrats such as Himes as an acceptable alternative to Pulte, who was handed the reins of the country\u2019s intelligence apparatuses with a mandate from Trump to stoke baseless conspiracy theories about the 2020 election.<\/p>\n Some Democrats like Wyden, however, have noted that Clayton himself has also publicly indulged in election fraud conspiracy theories<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n
Dems Pushing for Clayton<\/strong><\/h2>\n