On the recordJune 16, 2015
It is critical that the United States continue to refine and implement a comprehensive and aggressive strategy to counter ISIL, al Qaeda, and their affiliates, but that responsibility does not lie with the Director of National Intelligence. The DNI's job is to ensure that our national leadership, who do generate our counterterrorism strategy, have the timeliest, most germane, and detailed information to be sure our strategy will be successful. Mr. Poe's amendment misclassifies that responsibility and misconstrues the important role of the Director of National Intelligence. Our intelligence community must be free to collect and assess intelligence outside of the scope of political decisions to be sure their analysis remains impartial and objective. So, reluctantly, I must oppose this amendment and urge my colleagues to do the same. I reserve the balance of my time.
