mr. alexis, o.p.m. did actually go to the seattle police department to get the underlying police report? >> no. we did not because we do a lot of these investigations and our understanding was that seattle didn't make that kind of information available. they routinely referred us to the state of washington database and that's where we went. >> so we didn't try to get the underlying police report, we just -- the decision of o.p.m. was that we've dealt with seattle in the past, they won't give us a report? >> well, there are certain -- our tpwhration is to try to find out the disposition or if there have been charges and it was not as though we decided we're not going to make an effort here. we based upon the fact in the past -- and this occurs with other jurisdictions besides seattle. they'll refer us to another database. you know, that is what they did. we did not go in this particular case and say, you'll depart from your policy. in is again something that we need to take a really close look at and we

mr. alexis had been charged and arrested for what was called malicious mischief. and under the existing standards, our job or the job of the contractor in this case was to go out and find out what the dispositions of the charge. and find out more information about the charge. some have questioned now why opm investigators did not go get a police report. well, the reason the police report was not obtained was because they have different rules about what they supply to us. and in this case, we had experience with seattle, seattle did not provide police reports. and they have their own good reason. i'm sure. but so what we were referred to by the seattle was this state data base. the state of washington, their court records. that's where we went. and that reveal that mr. alexis was charge but the charges were not -- >> i appreciate i'm over time. can i ask you. who do an oversight look at -- how many do you find a problem with? >> don't have that information. i can get it for you. if there's a problem, and there's all kinds of different problems. we try to get the co

mr. alexis was charged with malicious mischief but the charges were not -- >> i appreciate. i'm over time. can i ask you when you guys do an oversight, look at how many do you find a problem with? >> don't have that information but i can get it for you. if there is a problem, we fry to -- try to get the contractor to fix the problem, for example, if it's incomplete. and then if there is a problem, if the adjudicator looks at our information, they ask us to do more work. >> this is -- we could be here all day and we probably should be here all day. it's important. thank you. >> thank you. >> thank you, mr. chairman. i want to thank you for holding this very important hearing. as i understand it, in the case opm did actually go to the seattle police department to get the underlying police report. >> no, we did not. he do a lot of these investigations and our understanding was that seattle didn't make that kind of information available. us toetain me referred the washington state database and that is where we went. so we didn't try to get the underlying police report. the posit

mr. alexis' part and they failed to report that information. >> all right, thank you. mr. lewis, stay with this area of questioning, what do you think should be the role of d.o.d. contractors in monitoring the suitability of their employees to hold a clearance? >> this is part and parcel of their responsibilities as a cleared contractor. as a prerequisite for getting a company cleared, they must execute a security agreement and part of that security agreement is the national industrial security program operating manual. they have been required to do this literally for decades. this is an established process and contractors must execute that responsibility. >> ok, thank you. i ask you to think about a question, i'll give you a little time to think about it, what can you say to those who lost their loved ones, their husbands, their wives, their moms and dads, brother, sister what can you say to them that might give them some comfort to know that out of a horrible tragedy in their lives, our country's life, what can we say today to make them feel some good is going to come ou

mr. alexis' part and they failed to report that information. >> all right, thank you. mr. lewis, stay with this area of questioning, what do you think should be the role of d.o.d. contractors in monitoring the suitability of their employees to hold a clearance? >> this is part and parcel of their responsibilities as a cleared contractor. as a prerequisite for getting a company cleared, they must execute a security agreement and part of that security agreement is the national industrial security program operating manual. they have been required to do this literally for decades. this is an established process and contractors must execute that responsibility. >> ok, thank you. i ask you to think about a question, i'll give you a little time to think about it, what can you say to those who lost their loved ones, their husbands, their wives, their moms and dads, brother, sister, what can you say to them that might give them some comfort to know that out of a horrible tragedy in their lives, our country's life, what can we say today to make them feel some good is going to come o

mr. alexis had a history of mental instability which did not stop him from gaining security clearance. >> good morning, everyone. the hearing will come to order. welcome one and all. on monday, september 16, a nationaptiongedy unfolded at the cable ard in washington d.c. a very troubled individual took 12 lives in a senseless act of violence. the circumstances that led to this tragedy are multi-dimensional. many of the issues raised by this tragedy, such as thetanceso adequacy of our gun laws and the quality of mental health care, many iues rathe purview of this committee. but as we have learned more of about aaron alexis, a number of my colleagues and i have been asking each other why such a thi troubled, unstable individual aa possessed a security clearance from the u.s. government. why was he originally granted aw security clearance when he did not d isclose his arrest recordwhy waa on hills application? clearance why did the investigator responsible for looking into that arrest write up that alexid had retaliated by deflatinggato someone's tires, instead of disclosing that alexis had