https://www.washingtonexaminer...lic-hearing-threats/

Senators on the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee of both parties have voiced their anger at FBI Director Christopher Wray and Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas for declining to appear for their annual threat assessment public hearing.

Sen. Gary Peters (D-MI), the chairman of the committee, said the Cabinet officials “refused to appear” before the panel for its annual hearing about threats to the homeland for the first time in 15 years.

“In a shocking departure from the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee’s long-standing tradition of transparency and oversight of the threats facing our nation, for the first time in more than 15 years, the Homeland Security Secretary and the FBI Director have refused to appear before the Committee to provide public testimony at our annual hearing on Threats to the Homeland,” Peters said.

National Counterterrorism Center acting Director Brett Holmgren was supposed to join Wray and Mayorkas on Capitol Hill this week.

The top Republican on the committee, Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY), also called the move not to testify at Thursday’s hearing “unacceptable,” and he told the Washington Examiner, “The American people deserve to hold these officials accountable for their actions under the Biden administration.”

Mayorkas has been under significant scrutiny from members of Congress due to his role overseeing border policies and due to the Department of Homeland Security’s oversight role of the Secret Service, which has been in the spotlight due to two assassination attempts against President-elect Donald Trump during the campaign.

An FBI spokesperson said top leaders at the bureau believe the lawmakers on the committee would benefit more from hearing from Wray in a “classified setting” but did not specify why the circumstances are different now than when he previously testified publicly in front of Congress.

“The FBI has repeatedly demonstrated our commitment to responding to congressional oversight and being transparent with the American people,” a spokesperson for the FBI told the Washington Examiner. “We remain committed to sharing information about the continuously evolving threat environment facing our nation and the extraordinary work the men and women of the FBI are doing — here at home and around the world — to protect the American people and uphold the Constitution of the United States.”

“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,” the FBI spokesperson added.

The postponement of Thursday’s hearing comes a day after the companion House committee also canceled its annual threats hearing with Mayorkas, Wray, and Holmgren.

A DHS spokesperson told the Washington Examiner that the two agencies have offered to conduct a classified briefing to provide the committee “with the information it needs to conduct its work in the months ahead.”

“DHS and the FBI already have shared with the committee and other committees, and with the American public, extensive unclassified information about the current threat environment, including the recently published Homeland Threat Assessment. DHS takes seriously its obligation to respond to congressional requests for testimony; in fact, Secretary Mayorkas has testified 30 times during his tenure,” the spokesperson added.

Responding to the DHS statement, Sen. Josh Hawley (R-MO) said: “This is Mayorkas & Wray giving the middle finger to the American people. They are REQUIRED BY LAW to testify. And now they’re saying it’s good enough to post something on a website? Both are unfit for office. The Senate should subpoena them immediately and hold them in contempt.”

Hold them in contempt of Congress and force a roll call vote.

quote:

Originally posted by Lefty Sig:
Hold them in contempt of Congress and force a roll call vote.

Steve Bannon pulled jail time for refusing to testify before congress.

What, are they pouting?

They both will be unemployed in January.

quote:

Originally posted by wcb6092:
Steve Bannon pulled jail time for refusing to testify before congress.

quote:

Originally posted by downtownv:
They both will be unemployed in January.

That's nowhere near good enough.

quote:

Originally posted by wcb6092:

quote:

Originally posted by Lefty Sig:
Hold them in contempt of Congress and force a roll call vote.

Steve Bannon pulled jail time for refusing to testify before congress.

Same with Peter Navarro, basically telling the Jan 6 committee to pound sand, refusing to cooperate. Both Bannon and Navarro served four months in federal prison.

quote:

Originally posted by Gustofer:
That's nowhere near good enough.

Agreed. These clowns need to be facing prison time.

The fact that they won't testify in an open hearing, but are willing to give Senators a "classified briefing" says volumes. The former is on the record and subject to the Federal Records Act and FOIA, the latter is something that the media will never publish. They are obviously terrified about what might be disclosed, and the consequences thereof.

Perfectly willing to put their political opponents in jail for non crimes, but scared to admit culpability for actual criminal acts.

They can testify in a closed hearing but it won't stay classified very long .

Our Senator Peters actually saying anything against Biden Cabinet members? I’m in shock!