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November 20, 2009
Sen. Joe Lieberman At Senate Probing Fort Hood Shooting Questions Need To Be Answered
Senate Probing Fort Hood Shooting
Sen. Joe Lieberman today at the first Senate hearing on the Fort Hood Terror Attack laying out some of the key questions that need to be answered.
Lieberman said there needs to be a thorough investigation on what was known by officials in the Army, the Department of Defense, and elsewhere about Nidal Malik Hasan's radical beliefs and tendencies. Lieberman seems determined to see that this is not just swept under the rug.
Lieberman may subpoena officials over shooting spree at Fort Hood
Sen. Joe Lieberman said Wednesday he would hold a hearing this week on the Fort Hood shooting and may use his subpoena power to force government officials to testify.
The chairman of the Senate Homeland Security and Government Affairs Committee is moving ahead with the Thursday hearing despite the Obama administration’s request to delay congressional inquiries until the federal investigation is complete.
Sen. Lieberman (I-Conn.) said he feels compelled to probe the Nov. 5 shootings that killed 13 people at the Texas army base. Lieberman and Sen. Susan Collins of Maine, the committee’s ranking Republican, said they want answers to why the Army failed to identify potential signs that might have prevented the crimes. The committee has repeatedly held similar hearings in the past without jeopardizing criminal investigations, the two lawmakers said.
An Army major, Nidal Malik Hasan, has been charged with 13 counts of murder in the Nov. 5 incident. President Barack Obama has asked for a report by Nov. 30 after it was revealed that a federal joint task force had scrutinized Hasan in December 2008.
Lieberman did not mention issuing subpoenas to compel government witnesses, but told The Hill afterwards that he won’t rule it out.
“I hope we don’t get to that,” he said. “It’s a power that it’s important that we have, but you never want to have to use it. I’m just assuming we’re going to work out a cooperative understanding with the administration.
“Basically what we’re looking for is access to people involved in this, to interview them as part of our need to understand what happened…. This is a classic legislative-executive moment, and that’s why we’ve got to be very persistent here. And we will be.”
Lieberman’s disagreement with the Obama administration creates an awkward situation for Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.), who allowed Lieberman to keep his chairmanship earlier this year. Democrats had been angry with Lieberman for bucking the party and supporting Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) for president last year. This month the Connecticut Independent rankled many members of his former party when he announced he would not support ending debate on the Democratic healthcare bill if it includes a public insurance option, which it does.
Reid spokesman Jim Manley on Wednesday said Reid had no regrets about letting Lieberman keep his gavel.
Army and FBI officials briefed lawmakers on Tuesday on the shootings, hoping to avoid a widening gap between Congress and the White House.
Obama warned Congress on Saturday not to turn the shooting into “political theater,” prompting the Senate Armed Services Committee to cancel a scheduled closed-door hearing with Secretary of the Army John McHugh and Army Chief of Staff George Casey.
Lieberman said he is in ongoing talks with administration officials over a path forward, and insisted several times Wednesday that his committee’s inquiry would look at the system that allowed the crime to occur and not the actual crime. The senator said he did not see a need to interview witnesses of the shootings, for example.
Also Wednesday, Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) sent a letter to the White House to ask that his committee receive a copy of the federal report once it is submitted to Obama on Nov. 30. Leahy’s committee oversees the Justice Department and the FBI, which is assisting the Army in the inquiry.
“Consistent with my responsibilities as the Chairman of the U.S. Senate Committee on the Judiciary, and my constitutional obligation to conduct rigorous congressional oversight, I request that the results of the internal investigations by the FBI and the Army be transmitted to the Committee on the Judiciary,” Leahy wrote. “I appreciate that the Department of the Army and the FBI are engaged in an ongoing investigation of this case, and I do not wish to interfere with that process.”
Wild Thing's comment.......
I give Joe credit on this one for having kahunas. GOOD for him. Plus it will shame any rino or Republican to take a hard stand too, or it should anyway.
Sadly, as Gen. Casey said the other day....""Our diversity, not only in our Army, but in our country, is a strength. And as horrific as this tragedy was, if our diversity becomes a casualty, I think that’s worse!"".
I want to start hearing the word, “Traitor” and “Treason” in some of these hearings... There is NO reason I can think of why this man’s actions AREN’T being considered as such! And, the fact that this guy was on OBAMA’s Homeland Security Advisory Panel needs to be investigated thoroughly. How a JIHADIST infiltrated one of the TOP levels of our government (the Executive Branch) needs to be investigated as well...
Obama may SAY this is “playing politics” but he is wrong - WAY WRONG. This is a WAR, and this man is a TRAITOR and he was ADVISING our PRESIDENT ON how to deal with the threat of domestic terrorism, and domestic policy on terrorism itself! Obama is PROTECTING this man — PROTECTING a TRAITOR appointed to an Executive branch panel for God sakes!!! [This really reminds me of Obama defending his friend against the “racist cops”... He is doing everything he can to avoid this man being labeled what he is — and Islamic Jihadist and a TRAITOR!
I’d LOVE to see Obama subpoenaed to find out WHO choose this man to be on that panel, and just how well Obama himself knew this man! Obama really loves hanging with terrorists, doesn’t he???
Posted by Wild Thing at November 20, 2009 04:45 AM
Comments
It seems Gen Casey needs to take some lessons from Gen Patton.
An army is a team. It lives, eats, sleeps, fights as a team. This individuality stuff is a bunch of bullshit...General George Patton Jr
Posted by: BobF at November 20, 2009 11:13 AM
How bad does he want to keep his committee chair? How bad does he want to investigate this? He says he will filibuster health care vote if it has a public option. Do you think he will give that up to keep his committee chair? Because that will be the question. If he holds up health care, the dems will take his chair.
If he plays ball, he keeps his chair.
Ummmmm which way will he go. I see a big health care fold coming here.
Posted by: patriotparty1 at November 20, 2009 02:57 PM
