Page 22 - Oversight Function News Today

At a time when russia tried to interfere with the american elections. >> look, if paul ryan wants the oversight function to have credibility in his house it has to be a change. right? he has destroyed the credibility of the investigation. and to pull back for a second, this entire episode, this whole thing starts with a tweet from donald trump to get people off of the russia stuff. its amazing. its like a month later, were still talking about it all over the place. >> theres two tragedies here. ...

>> it was a study of contrast. i dont want to say it diminished the house but it celt a high bar the house should try to reach as well. theyre co equal houses of congress and they should strive to meet that high bar. >> whauv if weve seen the best days of the house intelligence committee investigation? >> that would be a shame and undermine an important oversight function. the permanent select committee, the senate select committee were started in the 1970s, after the watergate abuses from the c...

Theyre co equal houses of congress and they should strive to meet that high bar. >> whauv if weve seen the best days of the house intelligence committee investigation? >> that would be a shame and undermine an important oversight function. the permanent select committee, the senate select committee were started in the 1970s, after the watergate abuses from the church and pike hearings and these are major institutions that really step into the shoes of the american people to watch the secret oper...

>> is that the consensus among people who have been around like john mccain and yourself, in terms of the particulars of the chairmans behaviors, he gets some communication, but then brings him to the white house in order to examine it. does that -- is that something you ever heard of before. >> no, that makes no sense and as i think back over chairman that i worked with of both parties, i cant imagine any one of them doing something like this. lets go to 30,000 feet here. i think -- theres more...

Some of the stuff didnt seem to him to have intelligence value, yet it was circulating around. id like to know more about that. >> you worked at the cia, i thought it was interest, he made it clear he did not get it to the heads of the agencies and now wants to know why he didnt get information from the heads of the agencies. what do you think happened here? >> he made a suggestion that somebody kind of slipped it to him under the table. basically -- >> whistle blower -- but it was illusi illusi...

But we do have an oversight function. im new to the house intelligence committee but the house intelligence committee is not new to its oversighted role over the intelligence community. so, congress does have a role to play in this investigation, but we dont investigate crime because were north very good at it. abby: congressman, what do you think they will end up finding at the end of this? >> i dont know. and i guess, you know, i was a prosecutor for 16 years. i guess its easy for me to kind o...

The people who were doing that vigorously. and with all my might, and to have their backs at a reasonable moment, you have my word that it will do that. theres a second piece to this as well, i think, that is important and you hit upon it. which is i think we have an obligation as leaders to share with the american people all that we can about what is going on and what is not going on, and to do so in a truthful and complete manner. it is part of why i feel the oversight function is so important...

With that, mike, im certain from your experience on the hipcy and your involvement in the house select committee on benghazi investigation, you understand how valuable intelligence can be to oversight. if asked by the committee, will you provide the raw intelligence and sourcing behind agency finished products and assessments if in fact this committee needs it to complete its job? >> senator, i have been on the other side of this and i know how central it is to make sure you have all that you ne...

Fully understood the role that you have as cia director to keep this committee well-informed. i expressed to you my frustration of questioning members of the intelligence committee and then finding that there was more to the story and that there were omissions at times, not deception, but omissions. and even more frustrating, reading in the paper the next day leaks that have come from the administration, not necessarily the cia. and i think that erodes the trust that is essential for us to perfo...

And constitutional way. and then when we are, to defend the people who were doing that vigorously with all my might to have their backs at every moment. you have my word i will do that. theres a second piece to this as well, i think, thats important and you hit upon it which is we have an obligation as leaders to share with the american people all that we can about whats going on and whats not going on and to do so in a truthful and complete manner. its part of why the oversight function is so i...