Tensions are rising inside the House Intelligence Committee over the White House’s refusal to fully brief lawmakers on events leading up to the arrest of accused Times Square bomber Faisal Shahzad. Angry at having been kept in the dark during previous terrorist incidents, all nine Republican members of the committee have sent a letter to President Obama accusing the administration of withholding critical national security information. “A clear pattern has emerged,” the lawmakers write, “of the administration refusing to provide requested briefings or information or to engage with us despite repeated requests on issues such as Guantanamo, the Fort Hood attack, the Christmas Day attack, Yemen, critical issues involving the FISA Court, and now the Times Square attack.”
The GOP committee members say the law requires the president to keep the House and Senate intelligence committees “fully and currently” informed about intelligence matters. “The administration may not lawfully refuse to fully and currently inform the committee or instruct intelligence agencies not to provide requested information necessary to intelligence oversight,” they write.
