House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff proposed a bipartisan commission with subpoena power to investigate the Trump administration’s response to the coronavirus pandemic.
“The commission will examine U.S. government preparedness in advance of this pandemic, the Federal government’s response to it, and provide recommendations to improve our ability to respond to and recover from future outbreaks, epidemics, and pandemics,” Schiff said in a statement on Friday.
The top Democrat circulated draft legislation, saying it “closely mirrors” the 9/11 Commission, in which members of Congress, experts, and other officials reviewed the Bush administration’s handling and response of the terror attacks.
“After Pearl Harbor, September 11, and many momentous events in American history, independent, bipartisan commissions have been established to provide a complete accounting of what happened, what we did right and wrong, and what we can do to better protect the country in the future,” Schiff said.
According to Schiff, the proposed commission would would hold “hearings and public events to obtain information and to educate the public, including subpoena power to compel cooperation by relevant witnesses.”
“Though we are still in the early days of the Coronavirus crisis, there is no doubt that such a comprehensive and authoritative review will be required. This is not an exercise in casting blame or scoring political points, but something that the American people should rightly expect from their government as an exercise in accountability,” the congressman wrote.
Schiff said his proposed 10-member commission, which is expected to be established in February, is different than the committee formed by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi because it would not begin its work until after the coronavirus pandemic is over. The commission’s work would “complement the work undertaken by the select committee,” according to Schiff’s office.
The top Republican on the House Intelligence Committee, Devin Nunes, criticized Schiff’s proposal as a “dumb stunt to justify his never-ending media relations operation.”
