mr. chairman, and i also like to thank chairman desantis and my friend, mr. connolly, for holding this hearing. it's important for a number of reasons which you both have touched on already. when an individual applies to receive an initial or renewed security clearance, the federal government conducts a background investigation to determine whether he or she is eligible to access classified national security information. every security clearance candidate is to complete a standard 486. i have one right here. it's lengthy. it goes into a number of very personal aspects of each person's life. this 127-page form already requests a variety of personal applicant information, such as criminal history, any history of alcohol use or illegal drug use, any mental health ounseling. it does not currently request social media information, but as chairman desantis noted last night by 11:00, we got copies of this policy. and i want to say thank you. we have not always had information forthcoming in a timely manner. even 11:00 at time, that's timely around here. -- at night,

mr. desantis: ok. thank you. >> sir, i concur with my colleague. i think we encourage the most robust and effective efficient tools that are processed for ensuring a speedy, effective, background investigation. mr. evanina: this process will be different pending which agency is doing the background investigation. the tools that are capable of, the expense and the volume of people applying for a clearance. we encourage odni the most effective off-the-shelf capability as long as it's within the rules and regulations set forth. mr. desantis: let me ask you this. in the years heading to edward snowden, he made several posts using a consistent user name complaining about government surveillance. these posts may have alerted authorities that he could be an insider threat. has any of the social media pilot programs evaluated to date been capable of detecting that sort of post where the subject is posting that is not explicitly the individual's name? mr. evanina: sir, i'm not specific to the exact nature of the depth of the particular pilot. i can tell you

mr. desantis of florida. the chair rill reduce to two minutes the time for any electronic vote after the first vote of the series. the unfinished business is the request for a recorded vote on the amendment offered by the gentleman from texas, mr. weber, on which further proceedings within postponed an on which the noes prevailed by voice vote. the clerk will redesignate the amendment. the clerk: amendment offered by mr. weber of texas. the chair: a recorded vote has been requested. those in support of a recorded vote will rise and be counted. a sufficient number having risen a recorded vote is ordered. members will record their votes by electronic device. this is a 15-minute vote. [captioning made possible by the national captioning institute, inc., in cooperation with the united states house of representatives. any use of the closed-captioned coverage of the house proceedings for political or commercial purposes is expressly prohibited by the u.s. house of representatives.] tatives.] the chair: on this vote

mr. desantis: i thank the gentleman. the chair recognizes the gentlewoman from illinois, ms. kelly, for five minutes. ms. kelly: thank you, mr. chair. many of us have become so accustomed to using technology in our day-to-day lives that it seems second nature to examine the social media accounts of individuals applying for security clearance. however, it's important to note that when incorporating social media into the background check process, a number of steps must be taken going far beyond reviewing friends, a facebook profile. ms. cobert, o.p.m. does background checks governmentwide. the data collection of these investigations are completed by federal contractors in part because we must comply with the various laws governing what information can be collected, used and stored by a federal government. is that accurate? ms. cobert: congresswoman, we work with federal contractors in the investigative process to enhance our capacity to conduct background investigations. they have to follow the same federal investigative standards that mr. evanina referenced. the individuals fro

mr. desantis, do you have something to add to this? >> i just think it's a frustrating because if a taxpayer treated the irs the way the irs has created the congress, that just wouldn't fly. i think we all know that. you can talk to people about dealings with the irs in the private sector, and they laughed when you say, you just destroyed, let evidence to be destroyed in the subject of a somewhat. what if he made false statements? is not find what would've to ask you to do something and decided not to do with? i get to find somebody who thinks that would be acceptable. >> i think there's another point here i think it is the must've been a motive. if the irs comes to me at and says that they have my documents and i'm going to provide and because it's easy to do so that it is to face the wrath of the irs, as each of you testified. but when you're avoided to clean up the agency a diet that's as their commission you know there's a problem you have inherited. there's 24,000 missing e-mails in that. is it possible that those e-mails could tr

mr. chairman and also like to thank chairman desantis and my friend mr. connelly for holding this hearing. it is important for a number of reasons, which you both have touched on already. when an individual applies to receive an in ishl or renewed security clearance the federal government conducts a background investigation to determine whether he or she may be eligible to access classified national security information. every security clearance candidate is required to complete a standard form 86. i have one right here. and i have -- it likely goes into a number of very personal aspects of each person's life. this 127-page form already requests a variety of personal applicant information such as criminal history, any history of alcohol use or illegal drug use, any mental health counseling. it does not currently request social media information. but as chairman desantis noted last night at about 11:00, we got copies of this policy. and i want to say thank you. we have now -- not always have information forthcoming in a timely manner and even 11:00 at nigh

mr. desantis: that was all false. this started before rouhani was lengthed, he's not a moderate -- elected, he's not a moderate, this was a deal made in conjunction with iran's hard liners, and as we're seeing now, with how they're behaving, it is benefiting iran's hard liners. obamacare we can fix, it will be tough. may not be able to recover if iran gets a nuclear weapon. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. for what purpose does the gentleman from new hampshire seek recognition? mr. guinta: ask unanimous consent to address the house for one minute, revise and extend my remarks. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the gentleman is recognized for one minute. mr. guinta: mr. speaker, i rise to recognize national nurses week, a time to celebrate the contribution of over three million registered nurses around our country. they are our friends and neighbors who care for our loved ones and treat us with when -- treat us when we're sick. a nurse is usually the fi

mr. desantis a question. do you think president obama has committed an impeachable offense during his seven plus years -- >> i've never argued that. it's irrelevant. i think the irs is within the context of the irs and that's what we're focusing on. >> okay. now the chairman of the senate finance committee is orrin hatch, is that correct? >> yes. >> and he's got jurisdiction over the irs as chairman of the finance committee, is that right? >> yes. >> and he's a well-respected member of congress, correct? >> yes. >> man of integrity? >> yes. >> and he stated -- we can have our disagreements with him, meaning the irs commissioner, but that doesn't make it an impeachable offense, is that correct? >> i think what senator hatch and the senate finance committee may be looking at may be different than what we're looking at. many of these statements that i believe were false and misleading happened in the house of representatives. i would also note that the senate finance committee came to a conclusion that quote, bi

mr. desantis as well. i don't want to see any single group conservative or otherwise be discriminated against. as we review these materials i believe even though this is not an impeachment proceeding i would also say the irs commissioner there is no definitive proof about him being connected to the underlying premise and to the best of his ability all the materials that we have including even though the doj at that point directed to subpoena suggests he answered it as effectively and cheerfully as he can? >> with the gentlelady yields back i would be happy to yield to. >> in the time that the gentlelady has it she would yield to the german from california. >> in the case of the scooter libby conviction my understanding was he was alleged to give a truthful statement about what was ultimately determined not to be a crime. he had no part in revealing the valerie plame identity and yet he still was disbarred and criminally indicted. so my understanding is all testimony or dereliction of duty is still impeacha

mr. desantis of florida. >> thank you, mr. chairman. you know, we in this country, the government at all levels, has a responsibility to protect the safety of the american people. for the federal government, most of the crimes committed, particularly violent crimes are handled at the state level. i wish we could prevent every crime from happening. i wish we could. but the fact of the matter is we rely on deterrence, penalties to prevent people from committing crimes. but in this case, this is an example of where government could have prevented all of these crimes. you have somebody, and the story that came out, i thought, was shocking where between fiscal year 2010 and february of 2015, there were 124 individuals who were in the country illegally, had been previously detained by i.c.e., and were released that were charged with homicide. you look at the number of convictions that we have seen for people who have been released by i.c.e., even after being convicted of rape, of homicide, of domestic violence, violence against women, other s

mr. desantis. >> thank you, mr. chairman and thanks to the witnesses. i have my sympathies. this is just a terrible thing. the thing is what really gets me is it was preventable. had our government simply done its job, its core duties, you guys would have your loved ones here today. i appreciated ms. hartling pointing out that this is happening across our country. i -- i was in law enforcement a time as a prosecutor. if it's just some random american commits a crime, we want to prevent it, but when you have somebody in custody and you release them, whether early release as a criminal in the norm at justice system, or in this case people didn't have a right to be here and have committed crimes, you are putting the public at risk. so it's just very, very frustrating. i was disappointed in director saldana trying to say this is just political banter, it's not. these are lives at stake and this is a government that's not fulfilling its duty. what was your view, ms. hartling, when you hearty it being dismissed as political banter, how did that make you feel? >> i couldn't believe

mr. desantis the entire time i was you. but that's fine. you didn't say republicans though but that's fine. you did say i think a little bantering was the term you used. i wanted to try to dissect these numbers. i can, from my perspective following the law is not politics. it's the rule of law. is what america supposed to do and what america is supposed to be about. let's look at some of these. it seems to me there are four categories of individuals that i is probably interacts with the you have people who are here on a visa and to overstate what they violate their visas. .. yeah you commit a crime in u.s. custody. my understanding is he really 86,000 of the subset over the last few years. and over half of that 86,000, were released at your discretion. less commonly called prosecutorial discretion. is that accurate, direct or? >> that is correct. the >> that is all correct. when you break it down, people came here illegally convicted of crime, or in your custody. the lessons they are supposed to be deported and that your discretion, not bec

mr. desantis, has been disposed of and the bill had been read through page 80, line 15. for what purpose does the gentleman from idaho seek recognition? >> mr. speaker, i move that the committee do now rise and report the bill back to the house with sunry amendments and with the recommendation that the amendments be agreed to and that the bill as amended do pass. the chair: the gentleman from idaho moves that the committee rise and report the bill back to the house with the recommendation that the bill as amended do pass. so many as are in favor say aye. those opposed, no. the ayes have it. the committee risings. the chair: the committee of the whole house on the state of the union having had under consideration h.r. 5055 directs me to report the same back to the house with sundry amendments with the recommendation that the amendments be agreed to and that the bill as amended do pass. the speaker pro tempore: the chair of the committee of the whole house on the state of the union reports that the committee has had under consideration the bill h.r. 5055 and reports the bil

mr. scott you are recognized for five minutes. >> thank you chairman meadows chairman desantis ranking member connelly connelly and frankie member lynch and members of the subcommittee i appreciate the opportunity to appear before you today. the administration recognizes the importance of gathering accurate up-to-date and relevant information and its background investigations to determine federal employment and security clearance eligibility. as a government we must continue to improve and modernize the method by which we obtain relevant information for these background investigations. since 2009 various government agencies have conducted pilots and studies of the feasibility, effectiveness and efficiency of collecting publicly available electronic information as a part of the background investigation process. those pilots have informed the development of the new social media policy that has been issued by the director of national intelligence in his role as the security executive agent. i will for to odni in the further details of this policy. but as you know a limb be chairs the interagency