Mayorkas, Wray spark bipartisan ire for refusing to testify publicly about national security threats

Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas and FBI Director Christopher Wray refused to testify publicly Thursday before the Senate Homeland Security and Government Affairs Committee hearing.

The annual hearing is typically attended by the heads of the DHS and the FBI, but Mayorkas and Wray decided to opt out, ending an over 15-year tradition and igniting frustration on both sides of the political aisle.

'I look forward to Director Wray's resignation.'

Their refusal to testify about national security threats is set against the backdrop of several contentious events, including a scandal involving the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the conviction of the illegal alien who murdered Laken Riley, and President Joe Biden's go-ahead for Ukraine to deploy American long-range missile systems against Russia.

Senators torched Mayorkas and Wray for denying Americans the opportunity to hear from them amid many current hot-button issues facing the country.

The Democratic chair of the committee, Sen. Gary Peters (D-Mich.), rejected their excuse that they could testify only in a classified hearing.

"In a shocking departure from the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee's longstanding tradition of transparency and oversight of the threats facing our nation, for the first time in more than 15 years, the Homeland Security Secretary and the FBI Director have refused to appear before the Committee to provide public testimony at our annual hearing on Threats to the Homeland," Peters wrote in a prepared statement.

He accused Mayorkas and Wray of dealing "a serious blow to trust in our government."

"Their claims that they can only relay such information and respond to questions in a classified setting are entirely without merit," Peters added.

He called on the two men to reconsider and participate in the public hearing.

In statements to reporters, Peters explained that the hearing traditionally includes a closed session after public testimony. He also noted that the DHS released a 40-page document on threats to the homeland, which the committee had intended to discuss.

Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) called their refusal to testify "unacceptable."

"The American people deserve to hold these officials accountable for their actions under the Biden Administration," Paul said.

Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) called for Wray to resign.

"Secretary Mayorkas and Director Wray's refusal to testify publicly today in the Senate is an outrage – and a brazen attempt to avoid oversight for the political abuses at FEMA, the FBI and more. I look forward to Director Wray's resignation," Hawley stated.

The hearing has been postponed until December.

In a statement to The Hill, the FBI said, "The FBI has repeatedly demonstrated our commitment to responding to Congressional oversight and being transparent with the American people."

"We remain committed to sharing information about the continuously evolving threat environment facing our nation and the extraordinary work the men and women of the FBI are doing — here at home and around the world — to protect the American people and uphold the Constitution of the United States," the statement continued. "FBI leaders have testified extensively in public settings about the current threat environment and believe the Committee would benefit most from further substantive discussions and additional information that can only be provided in a classified setting."

A DHS spokesperson told The Hill, "DHS and the FBI already have shared with the Committee and other Committees, and with the American public, extensive unclassified information about the current threat environment, including the recently published Homeland Threat Assessment. DHS takes seriously its obligation to respond to Congressional requests for testimony; in fact, Secretary Mayorkas has testified 30 times during his tenure."

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