Classified briefing demanded into possible Trump admin cover-up of El Paso fiasco
A trio of House Democratic lawmakers sent a letter to multiple Trump administration agency heads demanding a classified briefing on the bungled operation in El Paso, Texas, airspace that triggered a shutdown of the airport.
The closure, which was initially set to last 10 days but was lifted after seven hours, still has multiple agencies offering conflicting reports of what happened — and frenzied finger-pointing at high levels.
The letter was sent from Reps. Bennie Thompson (D-MS), Rick Larsen (D-WA), and Adam Smith (D-WA) to Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, and Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem.
It danced up to the line of accusing the administration of a cover-up of what really happened.
"Since the FAA’s issuance of temporary flight restrictions (TFRs) beginning on February 11, which have since been rescinded, there are conflicting reports on the cause for this abrupt airspace closure, ranging from an alleged 'cartel drone incursion' to a shoot-down of a party balloon," they wrote. "Even more concerning, we understand that the Department of Homeland Security and Department of Defense deployed this complex C-UAS technology without required coordination with the FAA. This lack of coordination and transparency with Congress on C-UAS missions introduces unnecessary and dangerous risk into U.S. airspace."
Despite all this, the letter continued, in the wake of lawmakers' demands for information, "our Committees have received little or no substantive information on your Departments’ actions that led to the events in El Paso. We request a joint classified briefing as soon as possible to gain clarity into what led to the closure of airspace in the El Paso area and how your Departments plan to rectify the systemic failures in your C-UAS deployment process."
The letter concludes by reminding Duffy, Hegseth, and Noem that action involving more than one of their departments "must be appropriately coordinated to ensure the safety of the American people."