Avril Haines, who serves as the Director of National Intelligence, held a briefing with the Senate Intelligence Committee on the classified papers found in the possession of Joe Biden, Mike Pence, and Donald Trump.
It appears Haines’ briefing did not go quite how it was intended to do. Numerous people leaving the meeting, including some Democrats, expressed dissatisfaction at what they heard. Representatives from both parties lamented the lack of information received.
Intelligence Committee ranking member Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) reportedly characterized the meeting with Haines as “very unsatisfying.”
2) Rubio: It cannot be that their answer is we can't tell you what was discovered until the Special Counsel allows us to tell you, the information we're asking for has no bearing whatsoever, or would interfere in no way with a criminal investigation.
— Chad Pergram (@ChadPergram) January 25, 2023
“I think I speak for every member of the committee, the position DNI is taken on this topic is untenable,” Rubio said, also alleging that the Committee is being stonewalled. “It cannot be that their answer is we can’t tell you what was discovered until the Special Counsel allows us to tell you; the information we’re asking for has no bearing whatsoever or would interfere in no way with a criminal investigation.”
Republicans were not alone in their frustration. Rep. Mark Warner (D-VA), who chairs the Senate Intelligence Committee, was also unhappy with the allegedly sparse information that was provided.
“I’m very disappointed with the lack of detail and a timeline on when we’re going to get a briefing,” he reportedly said. “We’re left in limbo until somehow a special counsel designated it’s okay for us to be briefed. And that’s not going to stand,” Warner declared.
In terms of securing access to the classified documents, Warned said that “All things will be on the table.”
“There’s a sense of frustration that Justice is preventing the committee from hearing what they need to hear,” Sen. Roger Wicker (R-MS) said.
Sen. Tom Cotton (R-AR) accused the Biden administration of “stonewalling” and argued that investigations by the DOJ should not prevent himself and other government officials from viewing the documents. He additionally noted that special counsel investigations can drag on for years and that there is a possibility that Biden’s documents may have put national security at risk.
The Arkansas senator promised to slow down “all nominees” with the goal of inflicting “pain” on the administration for its “stonewalling.”
“We should not be fast-tracking nominees, whether they’re in the intelligence community, or Department of Justice or the Department of Agriculture until we have access to…docs,” Cotton asserted.
