you talk a lot the magnitude of individuals. it only takes one person to be a we need to be vigilant about this and do everything we can to make sure that those were trying to use our system and trying to do us harm are very quickly identified and the public remains safe. i appreciate all the efforts that are being made. i think a lot of work has been done but we still have a lot of work left to do. will be partnering with you to make sure that it gets done. technology and procedures and whatever else is required. i appreciate your testimony. members of the committee may have some additional questions so please get back and we ask you to respond to additional

questions in writing. without objection the committee stands adjourned.

live coverage from the senate intelligence committee at 9:00 on c-span three. . the latest on the mass shooting in orlando. we start with remarks by president obama. after meeting with his national security council. updates from attorney general loretta lynch. the homeland security committee takes a look at the issue of visitors overstaying their pieces. visas.

house committee meets to vote on censuring the irs commissioner for alleged misconduct. the state department's envoy for libya testifies later about efforts to establish a unity government in libya. the senate foreign relations committee. also on c-span three.

after the surrender at appomattox the nation faced challenges in reconstruction. american history tv is live from gettysburg college in gettysburg pennsylvania. for the annual civil war institute summer conference. topics that confronted our newly unified country. the return of the confederate veteran. the origins of the lost cause.

live all day saturday from gettysburg pennsylvania. on american history tv. president obama spoke to reporters after meeting with his national security council. this is 25 minutes. president obama: i just met with the national security council as

part of our effort to review our effort to destroy the terrorist group isis. our meeting was planned before the terrible events in orlando. tragedyously that shaped much of our work today. efforts foremost in our minds is the loss of the grief of the people of orlando. those who died those who are still recovering families who they areove one's harm not alone. the american people we work to succeed 100% of the time.

the attacker only had to succeed once. our extraordinary personnel, our intelligence, military, law enforcement, have prevented many attacks and saved many lives and we can never thank them enough. and he appears to been an angry disturbed and unstable young man. that ifow all too well called on people all around the world to attack innocent civilians. postings on the internet. than every accessible

before. this individual appears to absorb some of that. the shooter in orlando pledged allegiance to isolate. they are very hard to detect. federalur government state and local military and civilian we're doing everything in our power to combat these kinds of attacks. we work to succeed 100% of the time. the attacker only had to succeed once. our extraordinary personnel, our intelligence, military, law enforcement, have prevented many attacks and saved many lives and we can never thank them enough. but we are all sobered by the fact that despite the extraordinary hard work, something like orlando can occur.

in our meeting today, director comey updated us on the investigation. secretary johnson reviewed the measures we continue to take on behalf of our homeland security. secretary carter and the chairman reviewed the military campaign against isil and i thank secretary lew and his team at treasury for hosting us and their efforts to cut off the money that isil relies on to fund its terror network. at the outset, i want to reiterate our objective in this fight. our mission is to destroy isil. since i last updated the american people two months ago, this continues to be a difficult fight, but we are making significant progress. over the past two months, i authorized the series of steps and additional u.s. personnel and special forces in syria to assist local forces battling isil there and work with iraqi security forces and additional

assets including attack helicopters and additional support for local forces in northern iraq. our aircraft continues to launch from the uss harry truman now in the mediterranean. our b-52 bombers are hitting targets. targets are being identified and hit even more quickly. 13,000 air strikes. this campaign at this stage is firing on all cylinders. as a result, isil is under more pressure than ever before. isil continues to lose key leaders, a senior military leader in most you will and who plotted the external attacks and isil's military in anbar province and the top isil commander in fallujah.

we have taken out 120 isil commanders and leaders. if you target america and our allies, you will never be safe. isil continues to lose ground in iraq. in the past two months local forces in iraq with coalition support have liberated the western town and pushed up the river valley liberating a town and breaking the isil siege. iraqi forces have surrounded fallujah and begun to move in the city. in the north, iraqi forces continue to push up the river valley and making gains and preparing to tighten the noose around isil in most you will. isil has lost half of the populated territory it once controlled in iraq. isil continues to lose ground in

syria as well. assisted by our expression operations forces, the coalition of local forces is now pressuring a key town, which means the noose is tightening around them in iraq. isil is on defense and been a full year since isil has been able to mount a major successful operation in either syria or iraq. as isil continues to lose territory, it continues to lose the money that is its lifeblood.

isil is cut off from the financial system, cutting off its money may not be as dramatic as military strikes, but it is critically important. isil cash reserves are down and resorting to more extortion of those trapped in its grip and by isil's own admission, some of its leaders have been caught stealing cash and gold. its true nature has been revealed. it is critical for our friends in the senate to confirm adam, my nominee for undersecretary depor counterterrorism. everyone agrees he is qualified and has been working on these kinds of issues for years. and it's now been more than a year since i nominated him.

more than 420 days and has not been given a full vote. no good reason for it. it is inexcusable and time for the senate to do its job and put our national security and have a vote on adam and help keep our country safe. as one defector said, isil is not bringing islam to the world and people need to know that. the flow of foreign fighters including from america to syria and iraq has plummeted. the ranks of isil fighters has been reduced to the lowest levels in more than 2 1/2 years.

even as we continue to destroy isil militarily, we are addressing largers dr larger forces. helping iraqis stabilize liberated communities so isil cannot return. with regard to syria, it means our continued support for the fragile cessation of hostilities there. the cessation of hostilities has not stopped all or even most of the hardship on the syrian people. the hardship on civilians. assad regime has been the principal cull pit. isil and al qaeda's affiliate in syria also continue to terrorize syrians. but as fragile and incomplete as the cessation is, it has saved

lives and has allowed the delivery of some lifesaving aid to citizens that are in desperate need. we will continue to push for a political process that can end the civil war and result in a transition away from assad. lastly, here at home, if we really want to help law enforcement protect americans from home-grown extremists, the kind of tragedy that occurred at san bernandino and now have occurred in orlando, there is a meaningful way to do that.

we cannot prevent every tragedy, but we know that consistent with the second amendment, there are commonsense steps that could reduce gun violence and could reduce the lethality. we should give a.t.f. the resources to enforce the gun laws that we already have. people with possible ties to terrorism that aren't allowed to be on a plane shouldn't be allowed to buy a gun. i'm not talking about being tough on terrorism -- actually be tough on terrorism and stop making it as easy as foss for terrorists to buy assault weapons. make it harder for terrorists to use these weapons to kill us.

let me make a final point. for a while now, the main contribution of some of my friends on the other side of the aisle have made in the fight against isil is to criticize this administration and me for not using the phrase radical islam. that's the key, they tell us.

we can't beat isil until we call them radical islamists. what exactly using this label accomplish? what exactly would it change? would it make isil less committed to trying to kill americans? would it bring in more allies? is there a military strategy that is served by this? the answer is none of the above. calling a threat by a different name does not make it go away. this is a political distraction.

i have been clear about how extremist groups have perverted islam to justify terrorism. as president, i have repeatedly called on our muslim friends and allies at home and around the world to work with us to reject this twisted interpretation of one of the world's great religions. there's not been a moment in my 7 1/2 years as president where we have not been able to pursue a strategy because we didn't use the label radical islam. not once has an adviser said, man, if we really use that phrase, we are going to turn this whole thing around. not once. so someone seriously thinks that we don't know who we're fighting, if there is anyone out there who thinks we're confused about who our enemies are, that would come as a surprise to the

thousands of terrorists who we've taken off the battlefield. that would come as a surprise to those who spent these last 7 1/2 years dismantling al qaeda, including the men and women in uniform who put their lives at risk and the special forces that i ordered to get bin laden and are now on the ground in iraq and syria. they know full well who the enemy is.

so does the intelligence and law enforcement officers who spend countless hours disrupting plots and protecting all americans, including politicians who tweet and appear on cable news shows. they know who the nature of the enemy is. so there's no magic to the phrase radical islam. it's a political talking point, it's not a strategy. has nothing to do with political correctness and everything to do with actually defeating extremism. groups like isil and al qaeda want to make this war a war between islam and america or between islam and the west.

they want to claim that they are the true leaders of over a billion muslims around the world who reject their crazy notions. that's their propaganda. that's how they recruit. and if we fall into the trap of painting all muslims with a broad brush and imply that we are at war with an entire religion, then we are doing the terrorists' work for them. up until this point, this argument about labels has mostly been partisan rhetoric and sadly we have become accustomed to that kind of partisanship, even

when it involves the fight against these extremist groups. and that kind of yapping has not prevented folks across government from doing their jobs, from sacrificing working really hard to protect the american people. but we are now seeing how dangerous this kind of mindset and this kind of thinking can be. we are starting to see where this kind of rhetoric and loose talk and sloppiness about who exactly we're fighting, where this can lead us. we now have proposals from the presumptive republican nominee for president of the united states to bar all muslims from immigrating to america.

you hear language that singles out immigrants and suggests entire religious communities are complicit in violence. where does this stop? the orlando killer, one of the san bernandino killers, the fort hood killer, they were all u.s. citizens. are we going to start treating muslim-americans differently?

do republican officials actually agree with this? because that's not the america we want. it doesn't reflect our democratic ideals. it won't make us more safe, it will make us less safe, fueling isil's notion that the west hates muslims, making young muslims in this country and around the world feel like no matter what they do, they are going to be under suspicion and under attack. it makes muslim americans feel like their government is betraying them. it betrays the very values that america stands for. we've gone through moments in our history before when we acted

out of fear and we came to regret it. we have seen our government mistreat our fellow citizens. and it has been a shameful part of our history. this is a country founded on basic freedoms, including freedom of religion. we don't have religious tests here. our founders, our constitution, our bill of rights, are clear about that. and if we ever abandon those values, we would not only make it a lot easier to radicalize

people here and around the world, but we would have betrayed the very things we are trying to protect, the pluralism and the openness, our rule of law, our civil liberties, the very things that make this country great, the very things that make us exceptional. and then the terrorists would have won. and we cannot let that happen. i will not let that happen. you know, two weeks ago, i was at a commencement ceremony at the air force academy and it could not have been more inspiring to see these young people stepping up, dedicated to serve and protect this country and part of what was inspiring was the incredible diversity of these cadets. we saw cadets applauding classmates who are openly gay.

we saw cadets born here in america applauding classmates who are immigrants and love this country so much that they decided to be part of our armed forces. we saw cadets and families from all religion applaud cadets who are proud patriotic americans ready to lay their lives on the line ready to protect you and to protect me. we saw male cadets applauding for female classmates who can now serve in combat positions. that's the american military. that's america. one team, one nation. those are the values that isil is trying to destroy. and we shouldn't help them do it.

that's what makes this country great. that's the spirit we see in orlando. that's the unity and resolve that will allow us to defeat isil. that's what will preserve our values and our ideals, that define us as americans. that is how we are going to

defend our nation and defend our way of life. thank you very much. \[captions copyright national cable satellite corp. 2016] \[captioning performed by national captioning institute] i disagree with the

president. we are at war with radical islamic terrorism. millions of moderate muslims who are our allies. that does not mean we should threat and call it for what it is. she vowed to use the full resources of the federal government to investigate the orlando mass shooting. >> oh, boy. how are you? i know you're good.

i see you here. i have seen this program and i know that it is sponsored by women and focused on women and talks about the power of women. so i know you're great. \[applause] >> thank you for that kind introduction and for the work you do to provide opportunity in advance the cause of justice. i'm excited to be here today with all of you. all of you, advocates, allies in the cause of equality and i want to thank the first lady, michelle obama and the council for convening today's event and honoring the power of women.

and for ensuring that women's issues are seen for what they trulyr american issues. \[applause] >> i know you have had outstanding speakers today. i heard you had some good names. everyone who has been here has dedicated themselves to ensuring that women have equal access to education, to employment, to health care, to the security that all americans deserve. you have been working in our schools. you have been working in our places of business, day in and day out to build a world that's more safe, that's more tolerant, more equal and more just, not just for some, but for all. you have been building the world that our daughters will inherit. and i could not be happier to meet all of you. now, of course, that goal feels poignant today as we think about

the kind of world we want for all of our children. and even as we gather here today for a summit about speaking the way forward, about lighting the road ahead, i know that all of our -- we are reeling from the events of this weekend in orlando. and i want you to know that at the department of justice, i and all of my colleagues, the f.b.i., the averplet t.f., our national security division, our u.s. attorneys' offices in florida, our state and local partners are doing everything that we can to investigate this appalling crime. and we will bring all resources to bear, everything we have. \[applause] for all of us, our hearts and prayers are with those 49 innocent lives lost and they are with many more and to the families and loved ones whose lives have been changed forever.

as we focus on our response to this terrorist attack, and we will respond, let us never lose sight of who the victims are. let us never lose sight of them because it is for them that we fight and that we move and that we investigate. it is for them that we build this legacy. the target was a gay club during a latin night and the individuals who were harmed. who were killed were members and friends of the lgbt community, many of them latino, these men and women, many of them young people went to a club just to enjoy their evening and spend time with their friends to celebrate pride month in a place

everyone needs a place of safety. everyone. now i know that the women in this room and women all around the country understand the importance of a place of safety, a place where you don't have to look over your shoulder or worry about your surroundings. for others, it can be your community center, it can even be a sorority house.

this community today, it's a safe place for collaboration, a safe place for discussion, a safe place for growth among women where we can speak with each other and learn from each other in a supportive atmosphere. particularly because for our lgbt friends and family, home is not always the place where you are safe from judgment or violence. everyone needs a place of safety. and for the bar owners and clubs have at times provided that

haven from judgment, that respite from intolerance, that source of comfort and community, indeed, they are provided sanctuary. and this attack this weekend was made all the more devastating because it occurred in such a place, a place that was supposed to be safe. it is deeply damaged the sense of security. it has left a profound feeling of loss. this beautiful country that we call home a place of safety and comfort for all americans, no matter who we are, no matter where we are from, no matter what we look like or whom we

love. those of us at the department of justice, there is also ways for all of us here in this country. within the department we will continue to investigate this attack and see if there are lessons we can learn to prevent another tragedy. but for all of us, all of us, there are ways we can move forward. we need to have the hard discussion. we have to push back on the voices that prey on fear and are so divisive. and most of all, we have to stand up, we have to stand up against hate.

we have to stand up for love, a love that embodies america at its best. and as we all try, as we always do, to make some sense to find some reason in an inherently senseless act, i want all of our lgbt friends, our friends, our family members to know this, that we support you. we stand with you and in the aftermath of this horrific attack, we have been inspired by you. we have been inspired by your community coming together in resilience, coming together in strength. coming together in love. and i know that you've relied on all of these in the past, to know yourselves, to declare yourselves and to stare down prejudice with a defiant pride.

you are giving all of us the example that we need to rebuild our sense of safety, to rebuild our sense of community and to vow never to let fear take hold. and we honor you for that.

but i want us to remember and remember and hold on to this. the victims of this attack were living in an america that had newly recognized their fundamental right to marry. they were living in a country that had draped the white house in a rainbow flag. they were living in a world where the highest court in our land had declared that love is love and remember this and know this and hold on to this, we are still that country. \[applause] >> that is still us and let us declare and let us be clear and make it so that far from dividing us as terrorism aims to

do, let us show the world that this attack, this attack has brought us together in support, has brought us together in solidarity, has brought us together in love. and that was so clear over the last few days. the long lines of men and women in orlando waiting to give blood to help people whose names they had yet to learn. it was so clear and the vigil outside the white house by our lgbt family and members where the men's chorus sang "we shall overcome." and women from different regions and different backgrounds and different traditions to talk about how we can draw our nation closer to the fulfillment of our fundamental belief that all men and all women are created equal.

we are a country that shares a bond of common humanity. all of us together and that bond, that connection, that same sense that draws us together is stronger than anything that can divide us. this common humanity, this bond, has been the spark that has ignited every movement for progress in our history and every movement indeed has faced opposition and faced threats, faced violence and fear, but we that is still us and what americans do, we stand together.

and that's what we will do in the aftermath of this attack. we will all stand together. we will all be united and we will all be proud. and know this, that this department of justice and this administration will never waver in our fight to make sure that these united states of america are a place of inclusion, are a place of equality, are a place of safety for all of us. \[applause] >> i want to thank you for letting me spend a few minutes with you today. and thank you even more than that for coming together today. thank you for your efforts to promote leadership and create opportunity. thank you for your support of

those that people want to make us hate. thank you for your love of people that others want to have divided away from us. thank you for believing in the promise of america and the promise of america's women and the promise of america's future. i know you are going to have a wonderful rest of the conference. thank you for letting me spend a few minutes here with you today. \[cheers and applause] \[cheers and applause]

good morning. i'm michael mccaul. chairman of the house humanitarian committee. let me first acknowledge and give our condolences to the victims this last sunday. as we all know last sunday was the deadliest attack on the homeland since 9/11.

today, at 3:00 in the capitol visitor's center, i'll be moderating a classified briefing with the f.b.i. director comey. secretary jeh johnson and nctc director rasmussen. we will be pressing the administration for answers as to what happened, to find out what happened and to see what we can do in the future to prevent a situation like that from happening in the future. boston, fort hood, chattanooga, san bernardino and now this event. the homeland is under attack and the highest threat environments i've seen since 9/11. let me just say that the suspect, the orlando shooter was under the radar on several occasions. there were flags in this case that we will be examining and our oversight responsibilities.

he traveled to both to saudi arabia and to the emrates on two separate occasions in 2011, 2012. then came under the radar of the f.b.i. in 2013 for making inflammatory comments about connections to al qaeda and hezbollah and other remarks. and then in 2014, by attending the same mosque as the first american foreign fighter, suicide bomber in syria. these connections are all very concerning to us. it's something we will be taking a close look at. i want to commend the leadership behind me for supporting me and my committee in our legislative efforts. leader mccarthy and i will be introducing legislation in the short term in response to these horrific acts, to do what we can in the congress to our oversight responsibility. we can't stop them all.

we arrested the 85 isis followers in this country. we had 75 plots against the u.s. we stopped many of these. it's the ones you don't know about that keeps you up at night. this one kept us up at night and i pray we don't have any more in this country. with that i yield to the speaker. the speaker: over the weekend we saw the worst terror attack on our soil since 9/11. we continue to mourn the dead and pray for a swift recovery to those who are injured, but we need to be clear about who did this. this was another act of war against america by radical islam. the same time, let's also be clear, members of the lgbt community were the targets. they were simply attacked for who they are.

this is an ideology that rejects who we are as a country -- open, tolerant, free. it preys on the vulnerable and the insecure, seeking to radicalize them into murderers. this is a threat that knows no borders. this is a threat that cannot be contained. this is a threat that simply must be defeated. and right now -- right now the president doesn't have a plan to get the job done. that's why last week house republicans introduced what we believe is a better way for national security. in it are 67 ideas to keep america safe, including many to address homegrown terrorism. and, of course, the house has acted on numerous occasions to address this terrorist threat. and we will continue to do so

because we must stop people who want to do us harm from coming here. we must give our intelligence and law enforcement communities the tools they need, and we must work with the committees and communities to prevent radicalization before it starts. above all, above all we must never back down. mr. mccarthy: we continue to mourn the loss of innocent american lives. they were taken because of terrorism. i want to lay out to you exactly what we've been doing about it, preparing before and the actions we have taken. the speaker asked after we saw what transpired of the other terrorist attacks even that were abroad in paris, so we put a task force together of our committees. we have moved nine bills off this floor in a large bipartisan manner.

three of them that deal directly with the radicalization inside america of terrorism. six dealing with counterterrorism bills. unfortunately, they sit inside the senate. so this week we will take these actions. first today, we'll recess the house so everyone can attend the member-only classified briefing that chairman mccaul spoke of. chairman mccaul's committee, as well, has already had a hearing scheduled coming up. we'll move it up in dealing with the orlando attack. and finally, we will change our schedule this week to repackage the bills that have already passed so we can deal with this into the future into one re-sending it to the senate and asking them to take it up. these are large bipartisan bills. these are ones that can help fight what is going on around the world and now into our own country. for the sake of those innocent

individuals that have lost their lives, we have to make sure it does not happen again and we are best prepared to fight. mr. scalise: my prayers go out to the people in orlando. an attack on any american is an attack on all americans and we have to stand with those who were attacked by radical islamic terrorism in orlando. we've seen too many of these countless times there have been attacks on america's homeland. he has why the house has taken action. that's why the house laid out, again, a detailed plan, 67 points how to go out and actually stand up and have a plan to defend america's homeland. we passed a number of bills out of the house already over the last few months to focus on addressing the problem of

radicalization amongst terrorists here in the united states. it's time for the president to join with us in moving these bills forward and getting them signed into law to put a sharper focus on how to address a real threat that is here in america. it's not something that's coming. it's here. we've seen attack after attack by terrorists in the united states and it's got to end. mrs. mcmorris rodgers: i want to thank chairman michael mccaul for joining us this morning. we are all heart broken by the tragedy in orlando over the weekend. as we mourn together we're learning of tragic news out of france this morning. a reminder these are fighters embedded across europe and the threat around the world continues. violence of any kind is cowardly and it goes against our values. as a nation we grieve together. at the end of the day no matter your background, no matter your

walk of life, we are all americans. every man, woman and child in this country should have confidence to live free, knowing they are safe from terror in their own community. this tragic weekend was a stark reminder that the threats against our country are very real and they are growing stronger by the day. not since 9/11 have we seen so much bloodshed on our soil. acknowledging the threat, radical islamic terrorism is more important than ever. american leadership is more important than ever. the loved ones of those who have been attacked continue to be in my prayers. god bless. ms. jenkins: i join my colleagues in their prayers for the victims, the injured, their families and all of those that are involved in the orlando tragedy.

the senseless shocking act of terrorism based on hate and spurred on by radical islam. too often we've seen this take place on american soil, in san bernardino, in boston, in fort hood, even in my home state of kansas, the f.b.i. had prevented another homegrown terrorist plot against fort riley just last year. i hope the victims' families know that americans stand with them. as orlando rebuilds their community, so, too, will america. we will not be intimidated by cowards. our nation will rise up and fight those who attack our freedoms and our way of life. there's no place where those who are committed to hatred and violence can hide. the speaker: questions. reporter: mr. speaker, your reaction to donald trump's comments on orlando, comments

about immigration, comments suggesting american muslims are harboring terrorists and questioning president obama really wants to fight terrorism? the speaker: that's a loaded question. you pack a lot into there, craig. first of all, i would encourage everyone, to work on this. we've been working on this issue for quite some time. as soon as the paris attack occurred, we put together a task force consisting of our committee chairs to get ahead of this problem. as leader mccarthy mentioned, we already passed nine bills here in the house of representatives dealing with this terrorist threat, dealing with homegrown jihad -- dealing with homegrown terrorists. we will be moving those bills again to get them over to the finish line. i'll also argue on the immigration front, we did pass into law patching the loophole of the visa waiver program. so we already addressed one critical component of that. we also passed a refugee bill

because we want to make sure we have a security test so that we know who is coming into this country and that we have properly vetted that person based upon the security threat that they may or may not pose to this country and that is what we've passed also out of the house. that bill is sitting over in the senate being filibustered by the democrats. so we believe we should have a robust security test so law enforcement gets the tools they need so we do have control who comes and goes inside this country. as far as the muslim community you mentioned, i think there is a really important distinction that every american needs to keep in mind. this is a war with radical islam. it's not a war with islam. muslims are our partners. the vast, vast majority of muslims in this country, around the world are moderate, they're peaceful, they're tolerant. they are among our best allies, among our best resources against this war against radical islamic

terrorism. so i think it's important we hone that distinction, we honor that distinction. and let's remember we're all in this together. you know, we're not lgbt americans, democratic americans, republican americans, muslim americans. we're americans and as americans we need to up our game to deal with and confront this real threat. we don't think the administration has done a good enough job confronting this threat. we think more needs to be done. that's why we put together a 67-point plan last thursday to deal with the terrorist threat, to deal with the national security, to deal with homegrown jihad, to deal with homegrown terrorists, to deal with all of these issues, including immigration, foreign policy and the rest. that is a better way to fix what we want to offer the country, these problems and prevent this from getting out of control. reporter: aside from vetting, which you want to perfect, should there be an actual ban on the government -- from countries

that have terrorist ties, that we know are spreading terrorist ideology? the speaker: we addressed part of this issue with the visa waive. we thought there was a problem where you had people from different countries that could come without a visa, but we at -- we passed a law addressing that. we believe ultimately we ought to have the tools where we ought to have a security test, not a religious test, a security test and we think that's the preferred route to go. reporter: speaker ryan, you said that donald trump's call for a ban on muslims coming into the country was not conservatism. it was inflamed rhetoric and helped the recruiting of isis. was donald trump wrong to double down on his muslim -- the speaker: i stand by my remarks. i bet you do as well. i do not think a muslim ban is in our country's interest. i do not think it is reflective of our principles. not just as a party but as a country. i think the smarter way to go in all respects is to have a security test and not a religious test. reporter: constitutionally, do you think donald trump as

president could invoke a ban? the speaker: that's a question about immigration law and you can go to the 1952 immigration and naturalization act to determine whether the president has that kind of discretion or not. reporter: on appropriations, how does the orlando attack effect of the appropriation process beyond delaying a markup of the homeland security bill and on zika, when do you expect a -- the speaker: our committees are making good progress on zika. mr. cole and mr. blunt are making progress. we're proceeding with the appropriations we got. defense right now under way. we delayed the homeland security markup just in case there was something that needed to be addressed in that appropriations bill because of that terrorist attack. thank you very much. reporter: do you stand by your support of donald trump?

mr. becerra: good morning. javier becerra, chairman of the house democratic caucus. pleased to be joined by the vice chair of the caucus, joe crowley. with me as well are colleagues who actually worked quite sometime on matters that are important to us today. mike thompson from california, who has been our leader on the

issues of gun safety, addressing mr. brown, her colleague from florida and our colleague who is the representative of the location incident unfortunate , and davidtook place cicilline who has in a fighter for the rights of all americans and is one of the quality caucus cochairs. brief. all try to be long caucus meeting because members were very vocal. they were addment and they were une-- adamant and they were unequivocal. we can't have moments of silence when we see americans perish. as robin kelly, republican from illinois, said we can't just

think about americans lives that are lost when it's mass shootings. every day there is an american that is killed -- 30 people, 30 americans killed every day as a result of the use of weapons. and we need to stand up and the message was very clear in today's caucus. members will stand. we understand it's important to express to the people of this country this moment of silence to let the families of the victims know we are thinking of them. by god, this is the people's house, and if we can't stand up and then do something, then we're in trouble. there are any number of things that could be done. we must do a better job identifying and checking the background of those who seek to buy weapons, especially assault weapons. we could ask people to pass the legislation that mike thompson introduced and asked through a discharge petition so every

member could sign onto to make sure if you can't fly because you're on a no-fly list because of the potential to commit terrorist attacks, then you should not be able to buy a weapon by going into a gunshop and walking out with something that will let you do your mass destruction. we must do beater job of red flags, people showing fanatic extremism or severe psychological strain. but what we shouldn't do is simply bow our heads for a moment of silence. unfortunately, that's all speaker ryan would allow us to do yesterday. terrorists should not be able to buy guns, but right now a suspected terrorist might enter a store, a gunshop and walk out with a weapon of his or her choice. our republican colleagues refuse

to act in the house of representatives. speaker ryan said in a statement after the shooting, as we heal -- this is a quote. as we heal we must be clear-eyed about who did this, end quote. mr. speaker, we're very clear-eyed about this. the man responsible for the unconscionable mass shootings in orlando was investigated by the f.b.i., and at one point he was on a federal watch list and yet he got his hands on an assault weapon and he committed mass murder. mr. speaker, let's be clear and let's be clear-eyed. let's not allow a vote on this -- to not allow -- excuse me -- a vote on this critical bipartisan legislation to keep someone who's on the no-fly list from buying a gun is wrong. it is time to allow the american people to speak through their representatives and have a vote. inaction is a choice. and in congress it has proved harmful.

let me yield to the vice chair, joe crowley. mr. crowley: thank you. first and foremost, i just want to respect those lives that were lost and the families and our thoughts and prayers go out to the victims of this horrific act. secondly, i just want to make comment about last night. the reaction i think that my colleagues and myself included expressed on the floor was one of outrage, of frustration, of a desire to want to see something happen, not out of disrespect to everyone. even those of my colleagues that chose to not stand or to leave the chamber, again, not out of disrespect to the victims but out of respect to them because to simply stand for a moment of silence and then do nothing is really the ultimate case of disrespect.

and that is what the republican leadership has continued to do. i would suspect that chairman ryan -- that speaker ryan could not wait to get out of the rostrum last night because he was uncomfortable as well when he heard us yelling for a bill. where is a bill? where is the no-fly, no buy bill? where is the thompson legislation? is it the end all? is it a panacea? no. but it's a start. it's a start to try to do something to help prevent events like this from happening again. we in the democratic caucus have no disrespect to any of these families. we love these families. we're concerned about them. they're our families. they are american families that are hurting, and these 49 victims join a long list of victims and families that are hurting because their congress will stand for a moment of silence but do absolutely

nothing, absolutely -- don't even talk about it, don't even bring it up, don't hold a hearing. call a select committee on umpteenth when it comes to other things but not when it comes to gun violence. nada, zip. they're complicit in this by not acting and not taking a stance in some way. demonstrate to the american people you have some understanding what has taken place again and again and again. and still they stand there like deer in a headlights. we're incredibly frustrated, as demonstrated on the floor last night, and we're going to be incredibly frustrated until we get something passed and we're going to continue to protest in some format to demonstrate to the republican members of the

house of representatives and to their constituents that their failure to do something is complicit in events like what took place this weekend. and with that i will yield to the champion on our side of the aisle on the issue of guns and gun safety, my good friend from california, mike thompson. mr. thompson: thank you very much. i'll give you a real clear-eyed assessment on who this shooter was in the latest tragedy. he was someone who shouldn't have had access to firearms. plain and simple. and the list of folks who fall into that category as which know are pretty long. 30 people a day are killed by someone using a gun. we've had large-scale massacres such as what happened in orlando have happened more often than any of us want to think about. and our response, the congress of the united states, the people's house, our response has been stand for a moment of silence.

we've had over 30 moments of silence since the tragedy in sandy hook. we've had moments of silence ad nauseam. but i think what we haven't had, we haven't had one single vote on any piece of legislation to address the issue of gun violence prevention. we've not had one single vote on any piece of legislation that tries to make sure we do everything possible to keep people who shouldn't have guns from getting guns. it's an embarrassment. it's an act of cowardness, and we should all be ashamed of ourselves. as the chairman and vice chairman noted, one of the most specific efforts that we put forward is a simple piece of legislation that says if you're on the no-fly list you can't buy a gun. now, as was mentioned, the shooter from orlando had been on the no-fly list. the irony is when he was still on the list he could have gone

into a gun store and legally purchased the same firearms that he legally purchased when he got off the list. that's wrong. there's a big gaping hole in our safety net. there's a big gaping hole in our responsibility to make our communities safe. we should call this bill to the floor. it has bipartisan support. there's a discharge petition on it now. we should call that bill to the floor. it should be taken up for a vote and we should pass that. we should do everything in our power to make sure that people who shouldn't have guns don't get guns. and there's no conflict with the second amendment. it's no conflict with legal folks being able to purchase legal firearms. it's our responsibility and we're not living up to that responsibility. mr. becerra: corrine brown, florida. ms. brown: thank you. i come this morning with a very

heavy heart. i've had the honor of representing orlando for 24 years, and orlando is an international city. it's all of that but it's also a family-oriented community and the community has come together, whether it's the first responders, whether it's the airline, whether the community came together to pay for all of the funerals, they had a vigil last night. over 10,000 people came out. sunday morning when i got up i heard it, i got to church to pray. i believe in prayer. i went down to orlando to be with my orlando family. now, when i came back here yesterday, we always have those moments of silence prayer when something happens. i received a notice that we were not going to come down to the floor. the speaker was just going to handle the whole thing. in other words, the orlando -- the florida people wasn't even

allowed to come to the floor for that one minute to say nothing and do nothing. that is unacceptable. i had a press conference and i was talking to people in london. they think the people in the world thinks something is wrong with us. why is it that this continues to happen and we are the do-nothing congress? now, you know, it's questionable about whether this was a hate crime. clearly it was a hate crime. it was an lgbt pride month and the club. i mean, it was clear a hate crime. now, we in congress need to do something other than that moment of silent prayer. the community expects us to do more. to whom, you know, all my colleagues all the time talk

about prayer. to whom god give much, much is expected. he expects us to do more than just stand up for a moment of silent prayer. mr. becerra: let me now ask the author of hate crimes prevention legislation, david cicilline. mr. cicilline: thank you, mr. chairman. i want to express deep sadness and condolences and prayers to the victims of this horrific and monstrous shooting, to the families, to those still in the hospital. i think as corrine said, we all reacted the same way when we heard this news. i think americans all across this country were horrified to hear about the single largest mass shooting in the history of america which took place in orlando, florida. and we are all incredibly frustrated. while there is not a single piece of legislation that will solve all of the problems of gun violence, a combination of

measures taken together can significantly reduce the likelihood that our constituents, people who live in cities and towns all across this country can be protected from gun violence. and the failure to have a piece of legislation that will solve all the problems is not a license to do nothing about it. and we have a number of bills that will make a big difference in helping produce safer communities and help protect people from the ravages of gun violence. one of those bills is the hate crimes prevention act, which would require that someone who is convicted of a misdemeanor hate crime be prohibited from purchasing a firearm. and if you look at -- there was a wonderful report done entitled "hate and guns: a terrifying combination," that really tracked what happens with hate crimes. people begin with more modest assaults and efforts to intimidate and it escalates as the attacker wants to make a point to a particular community based on their ethnicity, race or sexual orientation.

so a black family may be the victim of some graffiti and then maybe to some other assault on their home and then eventually have their church firebombed. there is a pattern of escalation with these hate crimes. this legislation is to catch it before it happens. if someone is convicted of a misdemeanor hate crime which is compelling evidence of what the future holds, prevent that person from walking into a store and buying a gun and using that to harm other people. there are other examples, the terror watch list. there are a number of things. we got to do something. we don't need any more moments of silence. what we need is sustained action. many moments of sustained action to get things done, to keep the american people safe. there are a number of solutions that will do that. we're calling on our republican leaders in the house to bring those bills to the floor. let us debate them. i serve on the judiciary committee. we haven't had one vote on a single measure that would help protect americans from gun violence. it's a national disgrace that that has not happened.

mr. becerra: questions. reporter: you know this event happened at a gay nightclub. there are a number of amendments that deal with anti-lgbt discrimination. the republicans seem to put the genie back in the bottle. how can you fight that saying, look, this is what we're talking about? you guys don't want to deal with this issue but we're trying to force you to deal with this issue and put it in appropriation bills? mr. becerra: i'll respond quickly. i don't think we're going to stop. we weren't going to stop on that effort because we knew we had the votes. we had passed this measure authored by sean patrick maloney, our colleague from new york. and so we're going to continue.

and i think what happened in orlando this weekend simply fortifies our efforts to make sure that we make this congress act. but let me see if my colleagues want to comment on that. mr. cicilline: look, there's no question that hateful rhetoric and the discrimination that exists within the lgbt community in places across our country is a tremendous and serious challenge. we sew a number of states, about 30 states that are actively considering bills to legalize some form of discrimination against members of the lgbt community. and so in that -- this environment, it's particularly important that we take some steps to ensure that members of our community are protected from discrimination of any kind because the strongest kind of refutation of that language, that members of the lgbt should not be treated equally, it is discriminated against on their sexual orientation or gender identity is wrong. we need to pass the equality act which mostly all members of the

democratic caucus co-sponsored. a comprehensive civil rights bill. that would be a strong statement to this. i know what we as a party intend to do use everything we can to reinforce the founding principles of this country, that everyone should be treated equally, that people should be treated with dignity and respect and people should not suffer discrimination of any kind. reporter: when did you start circulating the no-fly bill and can you talk about how many you gathered, how many signatures? mr. thompson: we started a couple months ago. as i said, it's a bipartisan bill. i think there's 175 democrats who signed the discharge petition. one of our colleagues in the caucus today who wasn't on the list told me he was going to go to the floor right away and sign it.

so we're one more than when we started today. mr. becerra: we need a few courageous republicans to join as well. reporter: do you have any real reason you can defeat these efforts in the republican-led house? and many ways republicans are characterizing this is a terrorist attack but not attack on the gay community like the house democrats are. mr. becerra: so we know, as congressman cicilline mentioned, on the discrimination legislation -- the measure to try to prevent discrimination against lgbtq in this country, we had the votes. we had a bipartisan vote some 200 -- we had up to 218. 218 members in the house, republicans and democrats, who are in support of ending discrimination against the lgbtq community. we know the votes are there. now that the republican leadership can twist arms and make people flip-flop is another matter. but policy-wise, we know we have bipartisan support.

politically, we understand what republican leadership is trying to do, and certainly under the leadership of donald trump it should not surprise people this has become the party of lincoln has become the party of trump. we believe most people with common sense would say saying to somebody if you're on the no-fly list, you shouldn't be able to buy a gun. no fly, no buy. i believe most people, including gun owners will say, that makes perfect sense. so we don't believe there's any problem finding the votes. it's finding a republican leadership that's willing to do something. and that's the problem we have now. it's not the votes. it's finding leadership in congress, in this republican congress that wants to do something. mr. thompson: if you brought up the no fly, no buy legislation, or brought up the background check that peter king and i

brought forward, it in the house of representatives. mr. becerra: overwhelmingly. mr. thompson: it's up to the republican leadership. they have to show the courage to bring it up. the american people want it. there are number votes on the floor to pass it. they just have to screw up the courage to bring it up for a vote. >> he was not on the no-fly list. >> i'm suggesting if you are on the no-fly list you should not be will to buy firearms. this person was on it and then taken off. there should have been some notification if someone is on the list. the fbi figures there is not enough information. the fbi ought to get a call and they can revisit to see if things have changed.

it doesn't foreclose on us being able to add that. first thing is to get the bill up for a vote. at the time it was not an issue. the situation was on the list. who committed an act of terrible violence like this. the important point is right now the law is if you are on the no-fly list, the terrorist watchlist, you can legally go into a federally licensed gun store and buy an ar-15, whatever the handgun was, and i think that is wrong. i don't think you should be able to do that. >> republicans are going to say it would not have prevented this action from happening. >> i don't think anybody suggest we should have a bill

specifically for every instance that happens. if that is what the republicans are saying they better by their tongue because the only bill that we can pass that would prevent all of these things from happening is a bill to ban firearms. are you telling me the only bill is a bill to ban all firearms? >> we get elected to do something, not just sit around. i don't think anyone believes when congress passes something it resolves all the problems of the world. pretending the only thing is perfection is to say you don't want to do anything. this is a congress that has proven it is not able to do anything. [inaudible]

>> we know there are some problems. we know people are trying to acquire weapons to do americans harm. to do nothing to prevent that when we know people who are on the no-fly list, there is a strong chance some individuals may try to move forward with their bad intentions and to do nothing about that, to allow those folks are on a no-fly list -- to allow them to continue buying weapons or at least to check them and do the universal background check, what if you are just someone who is in a bad mental state and could do nothing to check on your status, your well-being, to be able to pick up a weapon. sandy hook, perfect example of someone who should not have had a weapon.

could we have stopped it? who knows. but we should try. we are talking but giving the american people a sense that we are going to try to make their lives better. to do nothing is to accept the current circumstances. we have an epidemic of gun violence. >> over 2000 people on the no-fly list have legally purchased firearms through licensed dealers. >> thank you all very much.

>> we have to be quick today. we have a picture. we had a terrific caucus. senator sanders took time to talk about his experience. it was very moving. our nation was shaken by the worst mass shooting in modern american history. 49 dead. scores injured. some very critically. this is an attack on the lgbt community, latino community, and america. everyone in america was attacked. it demands action. people of orlando responded to this unimaginable tragedy with

unity and generosity. they came together in a time of crisis to get things done. here in congress we want to react the same way. that starts with closing the terrorist gun loophole. more than 2000 suspected terrorists were able to buy guns from 2004 to 2014. terrorists have urged loan wolfs -- lone wolves to take advantage of america gun laws. a spokesman for al qaeda said, and i quote, america is awash with easily obtainable firearms. what are you waiting for? we have a republican who said the problem is not guns. what is the response of

republicans? more guns. they care more about the nra and the five they are having with gun owners of america, driving further in radicalism than protecting american citizens. absolutely shameful. why do they run for office if they are calling the nra more than their constituents? we will do this on the cgs appropriation bill. there is no excuse for allowing suspected terrorist by guns. we have other things to do. how about funding the fbi? they complain about the fbi saying they are not doing enough. they always shortchange the resources they have. republicans voted against this in december. it was a terrible mistake.

they have a chance to make it right. we are going to force a vote fully fund the fbi. if republicans are shortchanged, $100 million. both of these amendments are germane and deserve an up or down vote. certainly they are doing a good job of protecting donald trump. >> the lesson of orlando, san bernardino, that we have learned across america with these horrible mass shootings, we need to do a better job in america keeping guns out of the hands of those who are felons, mentally unstable, people with terrorist connections have no business owning guns in america. common sense dictates we as a

congress listen to the pleas across america to stop this gun violence. over 1000 gun violence incidents, 200 people killed in that great city. it breaks my heart. i love that city. people in neighborhoods all across that city are scared to death about firearms and what they are doing. do we have the guts to do something as a congress? are we going to cower in front of the national rifle association? i hope we have the courage to do something. i would like to make another statement. in times of crisis our nation expects leadership grounded in american values. president george w. bush after the tragedy of 9/11 made it clear those responsible would be held accountable.

he warned america not to hold all muslims responsible for the radical views of a few. after orlando, president obama condemned this act of hate and terror and promise to dedicate every resource to investigate and hold accountable those responsible for this tragedy. contrast this bipartisan leadership with donald trump, the man who would be the republican president, in the wake of the orlando tragedy, congratulated himself for his bigotry toward muslims. he wasted no time blaming president obama for the deaths. the questions facing republican leaders again this week, his emotional rants, his serial insults, his devices singling

out enemies to be loathed than feared distinguish him from any other candidate in modern american political history. to hear the republican speaker endorse from and characterizes outrageous comments as only being off message and unscripted is to dismiss the toxic rhetoric of donald trump as only the product of poor political coaching. it is more. windoweful rants are a on his character and his soul. how many of these same congressional leaders are making plans to extend the republican convention in cleveland? how many will bring families, children, friends to join them in a standing ovation to honor the lethal range of their unhinged nominee? history will remember them. as willing participants at the scene of this political crime

perpetrated on mr. lincoln's grand old party. >> thank you. last year, 244 people on the terror watchlist tried to purchase guns. 244 suspected terrorists walked into gunshots and attempted to purchase firearms. 223 were able to get firearms. only 21 went empty-handed. 91% of terrorists, when -- of suspected terrorists, when they sought to purchase a gun last year were successful. let our republican colleagues contemplate that. they want to fight terrorism, they say they are one to continue a situation where 91% of suspect did terrorists can get a gun. who are they kidding? i have a simple question. when the senators voted against the terror gap last year, why is

that acceptable? why should suspected terrorist be able to purchase firearms? why? why? no reason. the answer is obvious. the american people agree. republicans, democrats, independents agree it is absurd. the nra is the tail that wags the republican dog. the nra is more concerned with the rights of suspected terrorists and they are with the victims of gun violence and republicans bow down to that nra horrible choice. if they continue to oppose the terror gap the nra and the nra itself will be in part responsible for every terror attack that involves a gun in

this country. plain and simple. there is no other way to avoid that fact. on this upcoming bill we are going to try you again to close this dangerous loophole once and for all when the senate considers the next appropriation bill. can we win? we will win sooner or later. we will keep trying. we're not giving up. reporter say you can't win. why do it. every time we have a vote, hopefully we can win. hopefully they will change their minds. if not, they will face the consequences and that makes progress move forward. the moment of soul-searching for our republican colleagues is now . what is it going to be? are they going to side with the extremist in the nra with the majority of their constituents

and all americans who simply don't believe terror suspects should have access to guns. the people who seem to believe it other republican senators on the floor of the -- that body. >> since sunday night, tens of thousands of people around the country from los angeles to boston, charleston, s.c. to fort worth, texas have turned out for vigils to mourn the heinous act of terror that erupted over the weekend in orlando. that was an attack on our values . an attack on the lgbt community that has entered -- endured so much violence and an attack on every single family across the country. the question these families are asking around the kitchen table is what will it take for this congress to enact commonsense

reform to keep our communities safe? it is mind-boggling. every stay in this country including my home state has been affected by horrific gun violence. it is far past time for this congress to have a vigorous debate about what we can do to stem the tide. republicans continue to block us at every turn. they are so adamant that we do nothing, they blocked us on the most obvious amendment of all, to prevent people who are on the terror watchlist from being allowed to buy a gun. when you have politicians so beholden to the gun lobby they can't even support the idea that potentially dangerous criminals and terrorists shouldn't be allowed to walk out of a store they gun, there is a serious problem with our priorities. something 90% of americans want.

like so many americans, i am tired of hearing the thoughts and prayers of my colleagues with zero follow-up. time for action, we cannot wait for another mass shooting. i hope our colleagues on the other side of the aisle will finally wake up to the problem at hand and work with us to make progress on a crisis hurting as every single day. >> we do have 98 senators -- 96 waiting for us. i will take a couple of quick questions. >> would you support an assault weapons ban? >> do i? yes. >> without showing probable

cause, should the government -- >> the answer is that his -- that is foolishness. last question. >> are you pushing to get energy tax incentives? >> the fact is we would love to get it extended. we should not do it on a short-term basis. [inaudible] >> house members received a briefing from the fbi and federal officials about the investigation of the mass shooting in orlando. next, remarks from jeh johnson, alan grayson, and intelligence committee ranking member adam

schiff. this is 25 minutes. >> thank you. [laughter] >> i think we had an informative session and many questions about the pending investigation which the f.b.i. director answered. it's important to remember it's still early, 2 1/2 days after the attack in the orlando. i suspect we will be back up here. i know we have a meeting tomorrow with the senate and there will be opportunities to testify publicly. reporter: what do we know about the radicalization of the suspect? that started at the time he was watching these videos in 2012, 2014? >> it's fair to say this

individual was someone who self-radicalized. there is no evidence at this point that he was part of a group or a cell acting here in the united states. and there's no evidence at this point that this was a -- directedrect to attack, in other words that this individual had been directed by a terrorist organization or its leadership from overseas to carry out an attack. and this is the environment we are in where we have to cope with terrorist-directed attack, the prospect of a terrorist-inspired attack from a home-grown extremist which requires that we take the fight militarily to the islamic state, al qaeda overseas. we continue with our aggressive

law enforcement efforts here at home but there is a role for the public to play, public vigilance and public awareness do make a difference. it is almost always the case where someone self radicalizes. someone close to see the signs and see where the individual was going and we continue to build bridges to american muslim communities to help them help us in our efforts to counter extremism here at home in the united states. and so these are things that we are going to continue to do in the department of homeland security since i have been secretary. we have redoubled our efforts at countering violent extremism and building bridges to american muslim communities. i have been around the country meeting with muslim communities of many different types and so

this whole effort requires a whole of government approach. we mourn the loss of the victims, those who were killed in orlando. we mourn with their families. i know the president will visit orlando on thursday. and so the message here is there are a lot of people in national security, law enforcement, homeland security, working overtime to protect the american homeland but there is a role. -- a role for the public to play. and if you see something, say something is more than a slogan. reporter: are you aware of whether his wife tried to talk him out of it? toi would have to refer you the fbi.

>> congress can support us through a budget, through adequate funding to resource our efforts in law enforcement, in national defense, homeland security and i have been pleased with the bipartisan level of support that we have been receiving from congress for things like t.s.a. reprogrammings. we got the sign from congress yesterday on that so we can keep the wait times down nationwide through converting part-time to full-time our t.s.o.'s and bringing more on. there is a role for congress to play in terms of ensuring our homeland security efforts are adequately funded. got to go. thank you.

mr. jolly: i will tell you this is clear this is an individual who sought to be a terrorist and he achieved that. it is unfortunate. they were well aware of this individual. they had worked the case very hard, but obviously this is one that turned out with consequences that the nation will forever regret. this is someone who south to enact terror on the homeland. reporter: did they explain why? mr. jolly: you have to ask law enforcement. [inaudible] >> the first question was about gun control and we will arrive as to what the right policies. we have lived through this for

20 years. the partisan solutions aren't working. this is a week one nation mourning together and if we can't arrive at a consensus and reject this democrat-republican divide, we all lose, and we dishonor those who were lost. shame on members of congress who use a tragedy in orlando to play politics. and that's on both sides of the aisle and shame on presidential candidates who do the same thing. a members' briefing that turns into questions of partisanship is unfortunate to the american people. a tribute to law enforcement. they were doing the best they could in this case. this was someone who was intent on being a terrorist and unfortunately he achieved it. reporter: if someone is bent on being a terrorist should they be able to purchase a firearm?

mr. jolly: nobody wants people who are on the no-fly list to buy firearms. at the same time, there is people on the no-fly list who have no due process. the answer doesn't just sit on one side of the aisle or the other. i have draft legislation but it says if you are denied because are on the no-fly list, you have 30 days of due process to petition a court to purchase a firearm and the government has the responsibility to prove why you are on the no-lie list. we can get there together. you shouldn't be on the no-fly list without due process and when they fall back into their partisan trenches, we get nothing done. it is as heartbreaking to see people yelling on the house floor and presidential candidates casting credit or

blame marco rubio. this is what politicians do, and it is disgusting. we shouldn't be republicans or democrats. we should solve this issue. the briefing is important. the partisanship is disgusting. and that is what we have to get past. reporter: did they say anything about his phone? mr. jolly: it's a samsung and not an apple. they do and i'll leave it to law enforcement. but i do understand they have the phone. the reports are that they have access to the phone. reporter: did you learn anything new in there? mr. jolly: and this is very important, this is very important, this is someone who had south out the opportunity to be a terrorist and to enact terror on the homeland and he achieved it. the intent was clear here and -- it was one of terror.

thank you. you need to ask -- \[inaudible] mr. jolly: the entire profile is being studied and i would leave it to law enforcement. reporter: do you know if his wife was involved in the planning of the attack. mr. jolly: that is an open question that i suggest you ask law enforcement but clearly everybody related to him is being asked questions about what they knew. reporter: law enforcement and the f.b.i. drop the ball at all in vetting his background? mr. jolly: i know they are studying this question. this was a person of interest and revisiting every decision they made. this is somebody that they had been following and it speaks to the effort of law enforcement that they are working very hard. how do you stop everybody. we know how many they have stopped.

that's a question we wrestle with. i know law enforcement is wrestling with as well. this is not the time to second guess law enforcement. they will do that themselves and reevaluate best practices. congress will provide the oversight to make sure those best practices are implemented. thank you all very much. reporter: did you get more answers today on what happened? mr. grayson: the information they had was interesting and we were told it was going to be a classified briefing. [inaudible] mr. grayson: what is happening now the f.b.i. is following up with the computer, social media

to try to make sure he acted alone and there are no further threats. my concerns are a little different. it's possible to kill so many people so quickly and didn't get any further information about that. the weapon was described to us but didn't have anything like an ammunition count, the time it took to kill so many people. in my mind, the reason why this was the worst mass shooting, one person with one weapon was able to kill 50 people in a matter of minutes. reporter: there are a lot of questions about orientation -- [inaudible] mr. grayson: what is coming in now is anecdotal information and being treated as such. well, there was a third discussion of what could have been done to prevent this situation from happening again and that's part of the

conversation. we make the laws. so it's a natural thing for us to be discussing. reporter: anything you can say about the wife's role and whether or not she tried to talk him out of the attack? mr. grayson: we got some information. that would be classified information, so i don't feel like i can discuss that. reporter: were there other attacks planned to be carried out, even though he is not alive. any other people he was working with? mr. grayson: there is no evidence of that whatsoever. we have to be vigilant, but no evidence of that. >> [inaudible] mr. grayson: i think that's absurd. i'll be honest with you. the reason why we suffered the worst mass shooting in history is because it was possible for one person to kill so many people so quickly. he couldn't have done it with a

box cutter or a rock but an automatic weapon. that's what made this tragedy possible. now, by the way, it is a semi-automatic weapon. one that is capable of firing over 100 rounds in less than a minute. one victim who was shot more than a dozen times. one victim more than a dozen times. mr. thornberry: a lot of the details of this case have been in the press. the f.b.i. gave us additional details. it just seems to me, we can tell

from the press that this case is an exact template of what isis is trying to provoke, take an individual who's unstable, who may be angry, have a variety of issues, take the ideology and plug into that and encourage those individuals to act. and that presents a real challenge for law enforcement and everyone. mr. thornberry: they have a lot more people to question. a lot of additional issues to go into. this is still very preliminary right now. [inaudible] mr. thornberry: there were some process questions. who gets checked and under what circumstances as people are questioned by the f.b.i., are they forever more on some sort of a list and so forth.

and all of that will be explored further, i'm sure. >> they actually had him on a watch list and were notified when he did buy a gun? mr. thornberry: no. i think it is, i am trying to calculate what one can say. i think it has been in the press that he -- there were other previous investigations of this individual. they did not have enough information to pursue them further. >> he got a gun because of -- mr. thornberry: there are lots of what if questions. we all have to be careful about looking back, and saying that should havese happened. we need a those questions and see how the process can be improved and what the