OAN Newsroom
UPDATED 6:43 AM PT — Thursday, January 31, 2019
A top House Democrat is threatening to subpoena Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen.
On Wednesday, chairman of the Homeland Security Committee — Bennie Thompson — urged Nielsen to set a date to testify before his panel.
Thompson said Nielsen’s testimony could help advance bipartisan talks on border security.
Secretary of Homeland Security Kirstjen Nielsen leaves the stage after a security news conference for the NFL Super Bowl 53 football game Wednesday, Jan. 30, 2019, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)
This comes after the Treasury Department and the Health and Human Services Department prohibited their secretaries from testifying before several House committees. However, Thompson stressed it would be “unacceptable” if Secretary Nielsen doesn’t testify next week.
“The professionals who talk to us say, ‘the wall is a 14-century problem for a 21-century solution,” he stated. “We need a smart wall, we need operational control of our border — be they land borders, maritime borders.”
Recent reports have alleged cabinet members may be refusing to testify before Democrat-chaired committees, because they expect partisan agenda to dominate the hearings.
