Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Missouri) claims that Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas and FBI Director Christopher Wray were absent from Senate hearings to avoid criticism of the Laken Riley murder verdict. are.
Mr. Mayorkas and Mr. Wray were scheduled to testify before the Senate Homeland Security Committee on Thursday, but the hearing was postponed because they insisted it was classified and closed to the public. Hawley said in an interview on Fox News Digital on Thursday that he is asking Chairman Gary Peters (D-Mich.) to subpoena the two men for public testimony.
“Let's not forget who put him in the country,” Hawley said of Riley's killer Jose Ibarra. “Mr. Mayorkas lied about how he entered the country. He claimed authorities had no information about his past crimes. That's false. He then claimed he didn't remember the details. False. Declined to comment now. Fox News Digital did not immediately respond to a request for comment from the Department of Homeland Security about Hawley's remarks.
Ybarra was sentenced Wednesday to life in prison without the possibility of parole.
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Sen. Josh Hawley is asking the Senate Homeland Security Committee to subpoena public testimony from Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas and FBI Director Christopher Wray. (AP)
Thursday's hearing marks the second time in recent days that Mr. Mayorkas and Mr. Wray have insisted on confidentiality, forcing a delay in Congressional testimony.
The House Homeland Security Committee postponed a hearing originally scheduled for Wednesday to December. Committee officials told Fox News Digital that the hearing will be confidential.
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But Hawley suggested the Senate would not respond so easily. He said he is formally asking Peters to issue subpoenas to compel Mayorkas and Ray to testify publicly.
Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas has come under intense criticism for refusing to appear at a Senate hearing. (Getty Images)
Representatives from the FBI and DHS told Fox News Digital earlier Thursday that they believe Mr. Mayorkas and Mr. Wray have already given “extensive testimony” to the House, Senate and the American people.
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Peters' office did not immediately respond to questions about a possible subpoena. But the senators sharply criticized Mr. Mayorkas and Mr. Wray in their statement on X, saying their refusal to testify publicly “deprives the American people of critical information.”
FBI Director Christopher Wray is facing calls to resign ahead of President-elect Trump's inauguration. (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc, via Getty Images)
Hawley went on to call for President-elect Trump to resign ahead of his inauguration, citing his history with illegal immigration and alleged hostility toward Catholic Americans.
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“If he doesn't resign, then Trump should fire him,” Hawley said of Wray.
