Republican members of the House Intelligence Committee sat out the panel’s latest virtual hearing Wednesday, continuing a monthslong unofficial boycott of the panel’s proceedings over what they contend are serious security concerns.
“I had hoped that this would be a bipartisan discussion. Unfortunately, without reason or justification, our Republican colleagues once again have decided to absent themselves from the work of the committee,” Intelligence Chair Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) said at the top of the panel’s third virtual, unclassified hearing since the Covid-19 pandemic hit.
“I repeat my hope that they will reconsider this path and join us for future unclassified public hearings and unclassified, closed roundtables,” Schiff added.
POLITICO first reported that GOP members have skipped all but one of the panel’s public and private hearings since before Congress went into its coronavirus lockdown in early March.
Republican lawmakers argue that the committee, which along with its Senate counterpart traffics in classified information more than any other on Capitol Hill, should be holding in-person meetings and hearings. They have also expressed concerns that hackers could gain access to the virtual proceedings, which the House committee has been holding using software from Microsoft and Cisco.
Democrats have dismissed those concerns and say Republicans are being driven by the partisan politics that has gripped the panel since President Donald Trump was sworn in.
“The American people expect that the Congress will continue doing its job, even in a pandemic,” Schiff said. “That means showing up, at a minimum, whether we want to or not. whether conducted remotely or in person.”
A spokesperson for California Rep. Devin Nunes, the panel’s top Republican, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.