Whose Duty is it to Investigate the Christmas Day Terror Plot?

What could have been a terrible tragedy was averted by the brave passengers on Northwest flight 253. The Christmas Day terror plot reminded us that no matter how many security measures are present in airports, those intent on harming civilians will adapt and still make it through.

Now that the plot has been exposed, numerous investigations are ongoing…yet others are not.

The U.S. House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, which has authority to conduct investigations on any matter, has decided not to look into the security breach that allowed a terrorist onto a U.S. bound plane, at the direction of its Chairman, Congressman Ed Towns. This has prompted much criticism and repeated calls for an investigation by other members of the committee.

As the “…main investigative committee in the U.S. House of Representatives”, the Oversight Committee is authorized to look into “…any matter with federal policy implications.” If the committee were to hold hearings on this issue it would immediately signal Congress’ recognition of the gravity of the situation and circumvent other committee jurisdiction issues/arguments that typically occur in these types of matters, possibly resulting in a more efficient, far reaching investigation.

Arguments are constantly made that the U.S. Congress is out of touch with regular Americans and its attention has seemingly been diverted to the topic of healthcare reform only. While the activities of the Oversight Committee may be a little known issue outside of Washington, D.C.’s insulated world, Americans across the country should be concerned with the current priorities of their elected officials. It seems to me that a systematic review of what occurred on December 25th should be a priority to Congress and for that reason the Oversight Committee should be taking a look.

Politics aside, what do you think? Should this committee be investigating the terror plot in the first place? Should it be left to other committees with a more specific purview over the issue such as the Committee on Homeland Security? Should Congress stay out of it altogether and let agencies such as the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Transportation Security Administration handle it? Should this topic be at the top of our elected officials’ priority list?