Cummings Issues Statement on Oversight Committee Investigation of White House Security Clearances
Statement
Today, Rep. Elijah E. Cummings, Ranking Member of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, issued the following statement after Chairman Trey Gowdy announced that the Committee is investigating White House security clearances, including the clearance of Staff Secretary Robert Porter:
"I spoke personally with Chairman Gowdy this morning about the document requests the Committee is sending to the White House and the FBI, which are due in two weeks. My understanding is that this is a first step, and I look forward to interviewing White House Counsel Don McGahn, Chief of Staff John Kelly, FBI Director Christopher Wray, and others to determine what they knew and when they knew it, which Chairman Gowdy said he wanted to do during a press interview this morning. It is no secret that I have been extremely frustrated that our Committee has done nothing over the past year to address the completely dysfunctional security clearance system at the White House, despite my many requests. So I commend Chairman Gowdy for taking this preliminary step. But obviously--obviously--the credibility of this investigation will be judged by how thorough it is in obtaining documents and interviewing witnesses, and how bipartisan it is in its conclusions."
During an interview this morning on CNN, Chairman Gowdy stated:
"I would want to know from Don McGahn and General Kelly and anyone else: What did you know, from whom did you hear it, to what extent did you hear it and then what actions, if any, did you take? The chronology is not favorable from the White House. When you have the head of the FBI saying we told you three times in 2017 and once more in 2018 for good measure then I think the really fair questions are: what were you told, by whom were you told it, did you have some reason to question what the bureau told you, and if none of that is true, why did you keep him on. So Don's one person to ask, General Kelly is one person to ask, there may be others at the White House, but those are the questions going through my mind."
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