Hurd Supports Due Process in Oversight Hearings

Yesterday after joining my Republican colleagues to demand fair due process in the oversight hearings led by House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff, as a CIA Officer and House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence (HPSCI) member, I issued the following statement:

When it comes to upholding our constitutional duties and protecting our national security interests, we are in no place to be playing games. Unfortunately, Chairman Schiff is treating our Article I Congressional oversight authority as if we’re kicking someone off the island in Survivor.

At a time when disinformation is weaponized Chairman Schiff is peddling falsehoods into the public dialogue. From his parodies at Congressional hearings to the withholding of transcripts and other important documents from members of the Committee, Chairman Schiff’s actions undermine the credibility of the Committee at a time when we should be conducting oversight of critical intelligence matters, including the situation in Syria.

We are in oversight hearings. These hearings should be thorough, transparent and fair as we look into serious allegations. Let’s get to all of the facts and find the truth instead of fitting bits and pieces into a narrative either political party wants to force. The future of our democracy depends on it.

Last week I joined my HPSCI colleagues in expressing concerns of the “highly irregular manner” in which these hearings are being conducted, and earlier this year I criticized Chairman Schiff’s treatment of the Mueller Investigation and efforts to deliberately spread a false narrative based on circumstantial evidence. As a former intelligence officer, I have consistently fought for protecting our national security and fighting for our intelligence community in Congress.