Reyes Asks For ‘Blatant Politicization Of National Security’ To Stop

Rep. Silvestre Reyes (D-TX)
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House Intelligence panel Chairman Rep. Silvestre Reyes bemoaned the politics that have taken over the investigation into Flight 253 and said Congress must take a “hard look” into what happened leading up to the failed Christmas Day terror attempt.

Reyes (D-TX) said he is closely following the developments and is being briefed by White House and committee staffers. President Obama received the preliminary review today in Hawaii.

“This incident is an incredibly serious and disturbing reminder that intelligence sharing and U.S. security systems are better than they once were, but they’re not where they need to be,” Reyes said in a statement. “As soon as Congress returns, the Committee will be taking a hard look at what could have been done better in this case and what changes to our intelligence processes may be necessary.”

But he also criticized attempts to inject politics into the investigation.

“In the days since the attempted terrorist attack on Flight 253, many people have seized on this issue for their own political gain, both to raise money and get media attention. This behavior is the blatant politicization of national security. It is unacceptable, and it needs to stop,” Reyes said.

He added: “We are fortunate that this incident did not have a tragic conclusion. Now, we must identify the lessons learned from this event and rededicate ourselves to improving security screening and better facilitating intelligence sharing. As our Nation did after September 11, we should rally around the President and work constructively, rather than take political potshots.”

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