WASHINGTON – Senate Homeland Security Committee Chairman Gary Peters criticized FBI and Department of Homeland Security leaders for refusing to testify publicly in a hearing scheduled for Thursday on global threats to the nation, a departure from norms that set one The recent Trump administration could set a precedent for the US.
FBI Director Christopher Wray, DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas and Acting National Counterterrorism Center Director Brett Holmgren were scheduled to appear before the committee to further explain to senators various threats to the United States, ranging from cybersecurity to terrorism.
Mayorkas and Wray were also scheduled to testify in the House of Representatives on Wednesday, but the hearing did not take place postponed to December.
Peters, a Michigan Democrat, said Wray and Mayorkas refused to testify publicly at the committee’s annual oversight hearing – a first in 15 years – and instead pushed for a confidential briefing with senators.
“Their decision not to make public statements about their departments’ efforts to address widespread national security threats deprives the American people of important information and the opportunity for public accountability about what the federal government is doing to keep Americans safe,” Peters said a statement.
The top Republican on the committee, Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky, also criticized the leaders.
“It is unacceptable that the FBI Director and DHS Secretary are refusing to testify publicly at our annual hearing on threats to the homeland,” he wrote on social media. “The American people deserve to hold these officials accountable for their actions under the Biden administration.”
In a statement to States Newsroom, the FBI argued that the agency has “repeatedly demonstrated our commitment to being responsive to congressional oversight and being transparent to the American people.”
“We remain committed to providing information about our nation’s ever-evolving threat environment and the extraordinary work the men and women of the FBI do here at home and around the world to protect the American people and uphold the Constitution of the United States “States,” the FBI said. “FBI leaders have testified extensively in public settings about the current threat environment and believe the Committee would benefit most from further substantive discussions and additional information that can only be provided in a classified setting.”
A DHS spokesperson said in a statement to States Newsroom that the agency offered the committee a confidential briefing to “discuss the threats to the homeland in detail and provide the committee with the information it needs to conduct its work on… needed in the coming months.”
The spokesperson said DHS has publicly shared “extensive, unclassified information about the current threat environment,” including a Homeland Threat Assessment published in October.
“DHS takes seriously its obligation to respond to congressional witness requests; In fact, Secretary Mayorkas testified 30 times during his time in office,” the spokesman said.
Peters said he was concerned that Wray and Mayorkas would set a precedent for FBI and DHS leaders to undermine Congress’ oversight power.
“It cannot be the practice of the executive branch to deny critical information to the public and disregard Congress’s constitutional right to oversight,” Peters said.
President-elect Donald Trump has has already announced his intention to nominate South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem Lead DHS. The FBI director is appointed to a 10-year term and Wray was confirmed by Trump in 2017 after he fired James Comey, who at the time was overseeing the investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election.
Last updated on November 21, 2024, 12:30 p.m
