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On the 25th anniversary of the worst attack on American soil, Director of National Intelligence Jay Clayton went on Special Report with Bret Baier to remind the nation that our intelligence professionals have been quietly doing their job — and that, thanks to their work, many threats on U.S. soil have been thwarted. His appearance was sober and unapologetic, a far cry from the fevered political theater we too often see in Washington, and it was right to honor the memory of those we lost while stressing the need to remain vigilant.
Clayton used the moment to spotlight the 2026 Annual Threat Assessment and to warn Americans that emerging technologies, especially artificial intelligence, are reshaping the battlefield for our national security. He made the blunt point conservatives have been making for years: technological leadership equals geopolitical power, and ceding that edge to China or hostile actors is not an abstract concern but an urgent danger.
This is why it matters that Jay Clayton is now the nation’s DNI after his confirmation and swearing-in earlier this summer; we need a steady hand who understands both law enforcement and the realities of the intelligence world. Republicans who demanded accountability pushed through a nominee who pledges to put results before partisan theatrics, and the American people deserve an intelligence chief who will prioritize protecting Americans, not protecting narratives.
The practical takeaway for policymakers is simple: fund the intelligence community properly, stop hollowing out border and law-enforcement defenses, and stop politicizing the work of analysts who keep us safe. Too many plots have been stopped by boots on the ground, sunup-to-sundown intel work, and interagency grit — now is not the time for Washington to tinker with or weaponize those institutions for petty partisan scoring.
Hardworking Americans deserve leaders who will defend them without apology, remember the fallen with genuine respect, and do whatever it takes to keep terror from our shores again. Claytons’s message on Sept. 11 was a call to sober patriotic action: bolster our spycraft, out-innovate our adversaries, secure our borders, and never forget that freedom requires both sacrifice and resolve.
