Jon Ossoff

07/15/2026 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 07/16/2026 16:17

WATCH: Sen. Ossoff Presses Director of National Intelligence Nominee on 2020 Election Results, Fulton County Raid

WATCH: Sen. Ossoff's full line of questioning

Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senator Jon Ossoff, a member of the U.S. Senate Intelligence Committee, today pressed President Trump's nominee for Director of National Intelligence on the 2020 election results and the Fulton County raid earlier this year.

Today, in a U.S. Senate Intelligence Committee Nomination Hearing, Sen. Ossoff pressed Walter "Jay" Clayton III, President Trump's nominee to be the Director of National Intelligence, about who won the 2020 election and former Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard's presence during the FBI's raid on the Fulton County elections office.

When Sen. Ossoff asked Clayton, "Who won the 2020 election," Clayton refused to answer the question and said, "I'm not going to do this with you."

In response, Sen. Ossoff told Clayton, "You refuse to answer a basic question about who won a presidential election, but you asked to lead America's Intelligence Community. 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 that question. Why can you not give it?"

Sen. Ossoff asked Clayton if he was aware that Director Gabbard was present at the Fulton County raid in Georgia earlier this year, to which Clayton said, "I was made aware of it by you yesterday."

"The first time you learned that Director Gabbard was present at that raid was in my office yesterday?" Sen. Ossoff replied. "Your answers lack credibility. Your testimony lacks credibility. You're being evasive and you're not being candid or forthright. And everybody across the country is going to watch this and know that."

Click here to watch Sen. Ossoff's full line of questioning.

Please find a transcript of Sen. Ossoff's line of questioning below:

SEN. OSSOFF: "You have an obligation to be honest and forthright with this Committee, correct?"

CLAYTON: "Yes."

SEN. OSSOFF: "And is it the case in the Juan Orlando Hernandez case that the President of the United States pardoned a man who had worked with the Sinaloa cartel to facilitate massive narcotrafficking into the United States?"

CLAYTON: "I don't remember the specifics of that case…"

SEN. OSSOFF: "He was convicted in your district."

CLAYTON: "He was convicted. I'm just … we convict a lot of people for a lot of drugs."

SEN. OSSOFF: "Convicted of narcotrafficking, yes?"

CLAYTON: "Um, I believe so."

SEN. OSSOFF: "You know so. At massive scale, yes?"

CLAYTON: "Well, you're telling me what I know. That's kind of -- he was I believe -- look, I'll take your word for it. He was a convicted narcotrafficker."

SEN. OSSOFF: "Did the President of the United States, Donald J. Trump, pardon a convicted narcotrafficker?"

CLAYTON: "I believe we just discussed that. The president provided a pardon. Yes."

SEN. OSSOFF: "Yes or no? Did the President of the United States pardon a convicted narcotrafficker?"

CLAYTON: "Yes."

SEN. OSSOFF: "Who won the 2020 election?"

CLAYTON: "You know, we're not -- I'm not. I'm not going to do this with you."

SEN. OSSOFF: "This is a job interview. We've established that you have an obligation to be honest and forthright with the Committee, yes? You do have an obligation to be honest and forthright with the Committee?"

CLAYTON: "Yes."

SEN. OSSOFF: "Who won the 2020 election?"

CLAYTON: "Like I said, I'm not -- I'm not going to get into that with you."

SEN. OSSOFF: "But you do have an obligation to be honest and forthright with the Committee."

CLAYTON: "Is anything that I just said not honest or forthright?"

SEN. OSSOFF: "Yes, you're not being honest or forthright. Who won the 2020 election?"

CLAYTON: "I think I've answered the question. We can keep doing this."

SEN. OSSOFF: "Well, we're going to keep doing it because you're not being honest and forthright."

CLAYTON: "Nah, I'm not going to engage in the theater."

SEN. OSSOFF: "It's a simple question, Mr. Clayton."

CLAYTON: "And I've answered."

SEN. OSSOFF: "Who won the 2020 presidential election?"

CLAYTON: "I've answered it."

SEN. OSSOFF: "You're here asking for the support of senators to lead America's Intelligence Community. We've established that you have an obligation to be honest and forthright with this Committee and with the American public, but you refuse to answer a simple matter of fact about the 2020 election, is that right?"

CLAYTON: "No, that's not right."

SEN. OSSOFF: "Then answer the question: who won the 2020 election?"

CLAYTON: "I have answered the question."

SEN. OSSOFF: "Answer it. What is your answer?"

CLAYTON: "I've given you my answer."

SEN. OSSOFF: "What is your answer?"

CLAYTON: "…"

SEN. OSSOFF: "You refuse to answer a basic question about who won a presidential election, but you asked to lead America's Intelligence Community. 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 that question. Why can you not give it?"

CLAYTON: "I think I gave you the answer."

SEN. OSSOFF: "Are you aware that Director Gabbard was present at the Fulton County raid in Georgia earlier this year?"

CLAYTON: "You uh -- you discussed that with me yesterday in your office."

SEN. OSSOFF: "Are you aware that Director Gabbard was present at the Fulton County raid earlier this year?"

CLAYTON: "You, you brought it to me … my attention yesterday --"

SEN. OSSOFF: "What is going on here? You've said at the beginning of this you have an obligation to be honest and forthright with the Committee. I'm asking a very simple question: are you aware that Director Gabbard was present at the Fulton County raid earlier this year? Yes or no? Are you aware?"

CLAYTON: "I was --"

SEN. OSSOFF: "You won't answer that question."

CLAYTON: "I just said I was made aware of it by you yesterday."

SEN. OSSOFF: "The first time you learned that Director Gabbard was present at that raid was in my office yesterday?"

CLAYTON: "It was the first time that, in my recollection, I've thought about it recently. Now, was I aware of it before?"

SEN. OSSOFF: "What?"

CLAYTON: "You -- I mean, you brought it to my attention yesterday. I had not thought --"

SEN. OSSOFF: "So you had not known until --"

CLAYTON: "I had not -- I had not thought about it until you brought it to my attention yesterday."

SEN. OSSOFF: "Your answers lack credibility. Your testimony lacks credibility. You're being evasive and you're not being candid or forthright. And everybody across the country is going to watch this and know that. Are you aware that former Director Gabbard testified that her presence at the raid was quote 'requested by the president'?"

CLAYTON: "I'm not aware of that until now."

SEN. OSSOFF: "Okay, you are now aware of that."

CLAYTON: "Yeah."

SEN. OSSOFF: "Are you aware that members of this committee are already probing Director Gabbard's potential misconduct in this matter?"

CLAYTON: "I don't. I'm not privy to your probe into --"

SEN. OSSOFF: "Are you aware that the general counsel and deputy general counsel of your office have already provided testimony to this committee regarding this matter?"

CLAYTON: "No."

SEN. OSSOFF: "If the White House Chief of Staff or the president asks you to travel somewhere across the United States and oversee the execution of a domestic search warrant on a sensitive election facility, will you do it?"

CLAYTON: "Umm that's a hypothet--"

SEN. OSSOFF: "Is that appropriate? Is that appropriate for the Director of National Intelligence?"

CLAYTON: "That's a hypothetical."

SEN. OSSOFF: "We all know it's not appropriate."

CHAIRMAN: "Senator Ossoff your time is expired."

SEN OSSOFF: "Will you answer the question?"

CHAIRMAN: "Your time is expired. Senator ---"

SEN OSSOFF: "Will you give him the opportunity to answer the question? Is this not material right now, sir? Is it appropriate for the Director of National Intelligence to oversee the execution of domestic search warrants at sensitive election facilities? Yes or no?"

CLAYTON: "I think you're asking me, as you just said in your first comment to me --"

SEN OSSOFF: "Yes or no? Is it appropriate? No?"

CLAYTON: "You are asking me to comment on a matter that you just said was under investigation."

SEN OSSOFF: "No, I'm asking you --"

CHAIRMAN: "Okay, Senator Ossoff, your time is expired."

SEN OSSOFF: "Disqualifying."

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Jon Ossoff published this content on July 15, 2026, and is solely responsible for the information contained herein. Distributed via Public Technologies (PUBT), unedited and unaltered, on July 16, 2026 at 22:17 UTC. If you believe the information included in the content is inaccurate or outdated and requires editing or removal, please contact us at [email protected]