The Democratic chair of the Senate Homeland Security Committee blasted the heads of the FBI and Department of Homeland Security on Thursday, issuing a rare but sharp rebuke of the two officials for failing to appear for a public hearing.
Sen. Gary Peters (D-Mich.) said both Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas and FBI Director Christopher Wray “refused to appear” before the panel for its annual hearing about threats to the homeland, saying it was the first time in 15 years officials have done so.
“Americans deserve transparent, public answers about the threats we face. Secretary Mayorkas and Director Wray’s refusal to speak publicly about their department’s work will only increase the concerns that many Americans have about our nation’s security at a challenging time, flout the Committee’s efforts to conduct responsible oversight, and will deal a serious blow to trust in our government. Their claims that they can only relay such information and respond to questions in a classified setting are entirely without merit,” Peters said in a statement.
“It cannot be the practice of the Executive Branch to deny the public critical information and disregard Congress’ constitutionally recognized right to conduct oversight.”
Sen. James Lankford (R-Okla.), in an interview on Fox News, also criticized the officials for not appearing at the public hearing. Lankford said the only reason given was that the officials did not want to offer the testimony in public.
In a statement to The Hill, the FBI also said Wray would have appeared in a classified setting for the hearing but did not want to testify in a public setting.
Read more at TheHill.com
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