CBC Members Call on FBI to Brief Congress on Austin Bombings

Homeland Security Committee Ranking Member Congressman Bennie Thompson (D-MS), Congressional Black Caucus Chairman Congressman Cedric Richmond (D-LA), and Judiciary Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism, Homeland Security, and Investigations Ranking MemberCongresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee (D-TX) on Monday called on the FBI to brief Congress on the recent bombings in and around Austin, TX that have left two people dead and, as of this morning, five wounded. “We call on Congressional leadership to join us in insisting that Members of Congress be briefed on these heinous acts by the Federal Bureau of Investigation before Congress adjourns on Thursday. We also call on the Chairmen of the Committees we serve on - Homeland Security and Judiciary - to recognize the gravity of the domestic terrorism threat and work with us on developing concrete and common sense solutions to counter it. For too long we have focused only on certain sources of terrorism and violence while ignoring others,” the lawmakers said in a statement. They went on to say, “To be clear, these bombings must be classified as ongoing terrorist attacks and should be investigated as such. Also, we need to understand if these attacks are ideologically or racially motivated ... This has become a national security issue and the full investigative force of the federal government must be focused on stopping these attacks.” Read their full statement here.