Jay Clayton, President Donald Trump’s nominee for director of national intelligence, faced a grilling from multiple senators about past claims of election fraud during a tense confirmation hearing before the Senate Intelligence Committee on Wednesday.

Clayton is aiming to be the permanent replacement for Tulsi Gabbard, who made examining election fraud a key part of her tenure at the Office of the Director of National Intelligence. During the two-hour confirmation hearing Wednesday morning, Clayton was at times unable to say anything in response to questions about the 2020 election from Democrats.