Lawmakers Seek Answers on Boston Attacks

Lawmakers? tone in response to the attack in Boston started to shift subtly Tuesday, when Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell took to the Senate floor to suggest ?the complacency that prevailed prior to September 11^th?has returned.?

The Kentucky Republican echoed President Obama?s sentiment that ?the two parties stand united today in our deepest sympathy for all of those who were affected,? but he quickly raised concerns that the sense of vigilance after September 11th, 2001, has abated.

?On 9/11, we were forever disabused of the notion that attacks like the one that rocked Boston yesterday only happen on the field of battle, or in distant countries. With the passage of time, however, and the vigilant efforts of our military, intelligence, and law enforcement professionals, I think it?s safe to say that, for many, the complacency that prevailed prior to September 11^th?has returned,? he said.

Congress was beginning on Tuesday to ask questions about what U.S. intelligence and law enforcement knew before the attacks and what they have learned so far in the investigation, including Sen. Dick Durbin, D.-Ill., who said he wants to know what more could have been done.

?What's the source of this and was there more that could have been done?" he said, when asked what questions he has for the administration.

Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren is in Boston and getting more frequent, almost hourly updates that she is sharing with other members, according to Sen. Barbara Boxer, D-Calif.

"I am working with Elizabeth Warren and the Massachusetts delegation,? said Boxer, who has not had any direct communication with law enforcement or intelligence. "I don't think they (officials) need to be bombarded with questions from California. I talked with them yesterday and they said they are having almost hourly briefings. They are very on top of things so I don't need to.?

Most members were offering words of support and saying, as did Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, that Congress should "make sure the administration has enough resources to fully investigate everything.?

But some were already using the Boston bombings as reason to slow action on big pieces of legislation, including immigration.

?Some of the speculation that has come out is that yes, it was a foreign national and, speculating here, that it was potentially a person on a student visa,? Conservative Rep. Steve King, R-Iowa, said, according to a National Review story. ?If that?s the case, then we need to take a look at the big picture.?

The FBI plans to brief lawmakers from both parties on the Hill at 4:30 p.m. The Senate Intelligence Committee also is scheduled to be briefed on Tuesday afternoon. A similar House Intelligence briefing originally scheduled for the morning has been postponed.

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Source: http://news.yahoo.com/lawmakers-seek-answers-boston-attacks-122518502--politics.html

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