Administration briefs two Capitol Hill panels on Fort Hood shootings

The House Intelligence Committee plans a closed briefing Tuesday with senior officials from the FBI, Defense Department and the National Counterterrorism Center regarding the deadly shooting rampage at Fort Hood, Texas.

The briefing, arranged by Director of National Intelligence Dennis Blair at the request of House Intelligence Chairman Silvestre Reyes, will be the first time all members of the Intelligence panel hear from the administration.

Lawmakers are expected to question whether mistakes were made in not preventing the attack, especially with regard to information sharing about the man charged in the shootings, Army Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan.

"I don't think our members have reached any definitive conclusion but there are a lot of tough questions that have to be asked and answered," said one GOP aide.

Across Capitol Hill, Senate Intelligence Chairwoman Dianne Feinstein said she has asked for a similar briefing to be given to all members of her panel.

Feinstein was briefed in the days following the incident. According to aides, the administration set up a briefing last week for the Gang of Eight, which includes the top Democrats and Republicans on the Senate and House Intelligence panels and party leaders from both chambers.

A House aide noted that the lower chamber was in recess and therefore not all House lawmakers could attend.

But the administration has stymied the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, which is holding the first public hearing on the attack Thursday.

The committee sought Obama administration officials to testify at the hearing, but "the administration felt it was not prepared to offer witnesses at this time," a committee spokeswoman said. The panel will hear instead from terrorism experts.

A hearing planned for Monday by the Senate Armed Services Committee was canceled at the request of the administration.