GOP members say the panel's virtual sessions are insecure. Democrats accuse Republicans of a partisan snit.
Democrats see a boycott motivated by partisan politics. Republicans argue they have legitimate security concerns.
The committee, with 13 Democratic and eight Republican members, has held at least seven bipartisan hearings and roundtables, both open- and closed-door, since the pandemic shut down much of Washington in March and April. The sessions, all unclassified, included a virtual hearing in mid-June where representatives of Facebook, Twitter and Google answered questions about foreign efforts to subvert the 2020 presidential election.
Story continues“These things get hacked. Why are we putting ourselves at that risk?” asked Rep. Brad Wenstrup , a member of the committee. “You border on classified information and maybe sometimes even spill into it. It’s just not the way to conduct business. And there is no reason for it." The committee's top Republican, California Rep. Devin Nunes, repeatedly declined to comment when asked about the matter.
The intelligence committee normally meets in a secure room in the Capitol — one that a specialized CIA cleaning crew had to scrub in March after Daniel Goldman, the panel's former impeachment counsel, tested positive for the coronavirus. A senior committee official dismissed Republicans' cybersecurity objections as"non-concerns," saying the committee's staff had"consulted our security and the House security” about the risks of a breach."There was actually less risk of that happening during a Microsoft Teams or WebEx session than there was logging into your House email or Gmail account from your home computer," the official said.
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
'No consensus' in intelligence community over Russia bounty on U.S. troops report, White House says'The veracity of the underlying allegations continue to be evaluated,' White House Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany said at a briefing with reporters.
Read more »
Trump Wasn’t Briefed on Russian Bounty Intelligence Because It Wasn’t Verified, White House SaysPresident Trump and Vice President Pence weren’t told about intelligence showing Russia paid bounties to Afghan militants to attack U.S. forces because the intelligence community and security officials hadn’t reached a consensus about its veracity, the White House press secretary said.
Read more »
White House briefs Republicans on Russian bountiesJournalists grilled the White House over a report saying Trump was told that Russians were paying Afghan militants to assassinate U.S. soldiers but took no action. Pelosi wants the administration to brief lawmakers on the allegations
Read more »
House GOP leader suggests without evidence that protests are driving up coronavirus casesHouse Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy on Monday partly blamed spikes in the number of coronavirus cases nationwide on demonstrations in support of Black Lives Matter.
Read more »
4 men charged in attack on Jackson statue near White HouseFederal authorities have charged four men in connection with a failed effort last week to pull down the statue of President Andrew Jackson near the White House.
Read more »