Reply #5: There should be a single secure environment in Congress [View All]

[Biernuts]

where a whistleblower can take a classified issue. Today, Committee Jurisdiction plays the dominent role in who can receive the complaint.

The HPSCI and SSCI (Intel Committees) are appropriate for complaints involving the Intelligence Community - unless of course, DoD Special Access Programs (SAPS) are involved. In that case, the Intel Committees are not accessed to the information and committee jurisdiction is the House and Senate Armed Services Committees.

A person accusing the military of illegal actions would normally go to the armed services committees, unless the complaint involves actions by the national intelligence community. Then the complaint rightfully should go to the HPSCI and SSCI.

In short - Congress has myriad fiefdoms that control the budgets and authorizations for the government organizations over which they exercise cognizance - and the member that strays outside his/her lane runs into powerful committee chairs who guard their turf.