Trump's nominee to lead US intelligence refused to say Joe Biden won the 2020 election, raising alarm about his independence — bad news for anyone worried about election integrity under Trump.

• Jay Clayton, tapped to run national intelligence, dodged repeated questions about who won in 2020, only saying Biden was "certified" after "our process."
• Senators saw this as a loyalty test: if he can't contradict Trump's election lie in public, he won't push back in private either.
• Concerns tie to reports that current intel director Gabbard was present at a raid on a Georgia election facility, allegedly at Trump's request.
• Clayton gave careful, evasive answers on restoring election cybersecurity teams that Trump previously gutted, promising only to "assess" it.
• This lands as US forces launched a second wave of strikes on Iran and the administration subpoenaed New York Times journalists.

Outlook: Clayton faces a tough confirmation fight, with senators signaling he may be disqualified over his refusal to answer basic questions.