House Homeland Security Committee's staff said to be in turmoil

Democratic and Republican congressional aides say there is turmoil within the the House Homeland Security Committee's majority staff and that oversight work is being eclipsed by a focus on promoting contracting opportunities for small and minority-owned businesses.

Sources who spoke only if they could remain anonymous said they are particularly concerned that the committee's new staff director, I. Lanier Avant, does not have the qualifications to lead the committee and faces a conflict of interest because he continues to serve as chief of staff in the congressional office of House Homeland Security Committee Chairman Bennie Thompson, D-Miss.

They expressed concern that Avant must balance his duties on Thompson's personal staff, which includes attention to politics and fundraising, and managing the heavy responsibilities of running the committee, which he began doing last month.

Avant does not have a security clearance. Sources said that raises questions about his ability to make decisions on issues involving classified information.

Speaking candidly with CongressDaily, Avant said he does "the bulk of [Thompson's] political work."

But the 30-year-old aide said he knows the line between his jobs.

The morning before the interview, for example, Avant said he attended a fundraiser for Thompson. But he said he took off his fundraising hat when he came into the committee's office.

He said no fundraising activity takes place inside the committee's office. "I know the firewall and I just told you what the firewall was as evidence of the fact that I know it," Avant said.

"I don't claim to be some genius but I'm smart enough to figure that out," he added. "For other people there may be a hazier line; they should probably just stick with the one hat."

Thompson, he added, has promoted a new deputy chief of staff in his personal office who will be assuming more responsibilities.

Thompson rebuffed the concerns Monday. "It's not a conflict of interest for me," Thompson said. About Avant's credentials, he said: "He fits the qualifications of the chairman."

But Thompson refused to answer additional questions because CongressDaily would not disclose the names of sources who came forward with concerns.

It is not a violation of House rules for one aide to serve as chief of staff and committee staff director for a lawmaker. The majority staff director of the House Small Business Committee, for example, heads Small Business Chairwoman Nydia Velazquez's personal office.

But sources said the arrangement with Avant has made Thompson's agenda of reaching out and helping small, minority-owned and disadvantaged businesses secure homeland security contracts the overriding focus of the committee staff. Not enough attention has been paid to broader national security matters, the sources said.

Thompson created an electronic newsletter, Business Opportunities at DHS, which includes an e-mail address -- DHSBizOps@mail.house.gov -- that small and disadvantaged businesses can use to tell the committee if they feel they are being treated unfairly by the department.

"Their Web site is selling themselves as people who give out contracts at DHS," one source said. "This is all misusing resources as far as I'm concerned."

The Democratic staff has been holding a series of nonpublic morning meetings in the committee's office with top executives from several companies. The staff also has organized public technology fairs and held its first so-called diversity roundtable last month.

Thompson also sent a letter to large Homeland Security Department contractors last year and again in January asking them to explain the percentage of their work they subcontract to small and disadvantaged businesses.

Avant makes no excuses for the focus on helping those businesses.

"We don't shy away from that," he said. "I haven't been in a meeting with the chairman where that [promoting minority small businesses] did not come out of his mouth. I don't meet with people where it doesn't come out of my mouth."

A handful of senior aides have left the committee in recent weeks, including the staff director and directors for the panel's Transportation Security Subcommittee, Emergency Communications Subcommittee and Management Subcommittee. The turnover comes at a time when the Democratic staff is investigating the preparations the Homeland Security Department is making to handle the upcoming transition to a new administration.

Avant said he "unequivocally" disputes claims that the committee staff is in turmoil. He said senior aides have left to take what they perceived as better jobs.

He said the committee has produced several homeland security bills in recent weeks, including seven that were approved by the House last month, and is trying to advance a chemical security bill.

When asked what his priorities are going forward, Avant said the committee will do a report on the threat that al Qaeda and other terrorist groups pose to the United States and on the nation's preparedness for a pandemic influenza outbreak. Those reports might lead to legislation, he said.

Avant has worked only for Thompson, beginning as an intern and working his way up to chief of staff while earning his law degree from Howard University. He has also served as deputy staff director of the committee.

"I don't come from an intel background. I don't come from a military background. I don't come from an executive agency. All of those are absolutely true," Avant said. "But I know Capitol Hill. I know Washington. More importantly, I know the chairman."

He added: "At the end of the day, as long as his goals get met, that's all that matters."