House Republicans refused to attend a public hearing on Wednesday because they say Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff (D-CA) isn’t doing his job.
The GOP members boycotted a hearing called “Emerging Technologies and National Security” that was held by the House Intelligence Subcommittee on Strategic Technologies and Advance Research (STAR). Reps. Chris Stewart (R-UT) and Devin Nunes (R-CA) said in a letter that Schiff has failed to hold a single hearing about Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) abuse.
Schiff responded on Twitter:
.@HouseIntel just held a key hearing on the national security impacts of emerging technologies.
Republicans boycotted the oversight hearing protesting the lack of *checks notes* oversight hearings.
(We’ve had fully 67 oversight events this session.)
We’ll keep doing our job. pic.twitter.com/IhrrlOyY4S
— Adam Schiff (@RepAdamSchiff) February 12, 2020
What’s worse is the inaction continues despite a report from an inspector general at the Department of Justice (DOJ) that found at least 17 mistakes in the surveillance of former Trump aide Carter Page. Nunes and Stewart informed Schiff that the Republican Party will not sit for hearings until the committee “prioritizes oversight activities related to urgent and critical concerns.”
It looks like Schiff may actually be forced to do some legitimate oversight soon.
Thank you to our friends at United Voice for contributing this piece.