House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence Chairman Adam B. Schiff subpoenaed the Department of Homeland Security as part of a probe into its Intelligence and Analysis office Tuesday.
Mr. Schiff, California Democrat, announced his committee was compelling DHS to produce documents and testimony related to allegations about the agency raised in a recent whistleblower complaint.
Committee members began investigating the DHS Intelligence and Analysis, or I&A, last month over concerns about its agency’s role in responding to recent protests taking place in Portland, Oregon.
Brian Murphy, the principal deputy undersecretary at I&A until recently, subsequently filed a whistleblower complaint alleging related misconduct and more that prompted the panel to widen its probe.
“These allegations include the suppression of intelligence reports about Russia’s election interference and efforts to modify intelligence assessments to match [President] Trump’s rhetoric on White supremacy, Antifa and terrorism threats at the border,” Mr. Schiff said in a statement. “Unfortunately, the Department has unlawfully obstructed the Committee’s investigation by refusing to produce numerous documents related to the allegations in the whistleblower complaint and related to its activities in Portland.”
In addition to failing to provide related material to the probe, Mr. Schiff accused DHS of slow-walking the process for granting security clearance required by lawyers representing Mr. Murphy in the matter.
Congress has now compelled DHS to provide both the documents and make available Mr. Murphy’s successor, Joseph Maher, the acting head of I&A, to testify before the committee Friday.
A DHS spokesperson told The Washington Times later that Mr. Schiff’s claims about stonewalling Congress are “completely false” and said his committee has been given almost 3,000 pages of documents.
In an email, the DHS spokesperson accused Mr. Schiff of “political theater” and claimed the congressman’s actions show he is willing to risk national security to attack the Trump administration for partisan gain.
DHS did not make clear if it planned to comply with the subpoenas.
• Andrew Blake can be reached at ablake@washingtontimes.com.
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