A military general briefed Sen. John McCain’s Armed Services Committee on Thursday about an ambush in Niger that killed four U.S. soldiers, the Pentagon said.
The briefing occurred behind closed doors and was also delivered to the House Armed Services Committee, Dana White, the chief Pentagon spokeswoman, told reporters at a briefing.
“We have done all we can and we will continue to strive to do as much as we can to ensure Sen. McCain and all the members of the SASC and HASC have exactly what they need when they need it,” White said.
Word of the briefing came after McCain, the Armed Services chairman, on Thursday added the Niger ambush to the growing list of national security issues he says the committee wants answers about from the Pentagon.
McCain has been holding President Trump’s Pentagon nominees, including Mark Esper, Trump’s pick for Army secretary, in limbo as leverage.
White disputed claims that the military is not being transparent with McCain and the oversight committees in Congress, particularly on the Niger incident, which is currently still under investigation.
The Pentagon notified both armed services committees on the afternoon it learned of the deadly ambush of Special Forces soldiers by ISIS-aligned fighters, and kept the committees up to date throughout with phone calls and emails, White said.
Defense Secretary Jim Mattis is “personally dedicated” to providing Congress the information it requests, she said.
