Thank you very much, Mr. Chair. Mr. Blanche, after both the assassination of Melissa Hortman, our former Speaker of the House, and after the Annunciation school shooting in which two people were gunned down through stained glass windows, federal law enforcement, as you and I discussed in my office a few weeks ago, were cooperating with state and local. And we also know that they've worked together on the important work going on in the U.S. Attorney's office in Minnesota with regard to fraud and the ongoing fraud investigation. And I know we have your commitment to continue giving resources for that investigation. Is that correct?
Thank you. So, we also discussed my concern about the lack of cooperation we saw after the horrific killings of Renee Goode and Alex Pretty, with the federal government refusing to cooperate with state law enforcement for months, blocking Minnesota investigators from accessing the scene of Alex's death even though they had a judicial warrant. They also failed to secure, according to news reports, failed to secure and process the scene, failed to process Renee Goode's car for evidence. When we met a few weeks ago, at length, I asked you to ensure full cooperation, and I appreciated that the department shared evidence with state investigators early this week. Will you commit to continued information sharing between federal and state investigators in these cases, as well as with regard to the recent shootings in Texas and Maine?
I expect that these investigations should be run as every investigation of similar kinds, and so that necessarily includes working with state and locals in the appropriate way. I think that the definition of full cooperation can be disputed, but I very much expect that whether it's the Inspector General or the U.S. Attorney's Office or the FBI or whoever's on the federal side of the investigation, where appropriate, to work with state and locals. I think a lot of the news reporting that you referenced is actually not accurate with what has been happening since the unfortunate events some several months ago.
OK, but that aside, we've seen these recent shootings in Maine, and the reaction of the community is understandably concerned, as well as Texas. And I think that people are going to want accountability in these cases. And one of the things that doesn't get as much attention as the non-death cases: an elderly man pulled out of his house in Minnesota in his underwear and Crocs in 10-below-zero weather. And as the nation's chief law enforcement official, do you agree that it is unacceptable for federal agents to forcibly enter someone's home without a warrant and drag them onto the street without even checking that they have the right person?
Well, it depends on the circumstances. As you just, as you know, I mean, yes, obviously law enforcement agents need a warrant to enter a house except for limited exceptions to that. So, yes, we very much believe in the constitutional protections afforded American citizens. The same protections are not afforded to people who are here illegally, so it's not a black-and-white answer where I can say yes or no. But yes, I very much expect the law to be followed by our law enforcement agents.
So since the Civil War, along those lines, federal law has made it clear that the president does not have the authority to deploy armed federal officials to election sites. Will you commit to following clear federal law and not deploying federal agents to polling locations?
I will commit to following the law, Senator, of course, yes.
Does that include not deploying federal agents to polling places?
I will absolutely follow the law no matter what it includes, so yes.
Do you understand why voters, U.S. citizens, are concerned about armed agents at polling places?
I'm not aware of armed agents being at polling places, so I don't, I'm not aware of that concern. But I will tell you, we will follow the law, Senator.
All right. The DOJ has carried out a campaign to push states to turn over voters' sensitive and private data to the administration. Thirty states, including Republican-led states like Georgia and West Virginia, have refused. In doing so, the West Virginia Republican Secretary of State said, quote, 'I will not break the law, give up our states' rights, or compromise the privacy of our citizens.' Fifteen federal courts, in decisions from Democratic- and Republican-appointed judges, have all found that these actions to force the states to turn over this data are unlawful. Could you discuss how cutting off anti-terrorism funding to states that refuse something that 15 federal courts have found to be illegal enhances our national security?
So those cases are still being litigated, so I can't talk specifically about the cases that you mentioned. But overall, what I will say, Senator, is that election integrity is extraordinarily important to this administration. It's important to this body, and so to the extent that the work that we're doing is to make sure that we have fair and honest elections, that the only people voting are the people who are eligible to vote, and that they're only voting once, that's important.
If secure elections are important, how does stopping the long-standing practice of critical information sharing and scenario planning between the DOJ, other federal agencies, and state and local election officials promote election security? Because we have heard from our own Secretary of State, Steve Simon, that the standard briefings, trainings have not happened.
