Lawmakers outline Hill terrorism probes

House lawmakers emerged on Wednesday from closed-door briefings on the failed Christmas attempt to blow up Northwest Flight 253 to outline areas of oversight and investigation they plan to focus on in coming weeks.

"From what I've heard overall, human error had a lot to do with what happened," Homeland Security Committee Chairman Bennie Thompson, D-Miss., said after a briefing on the incident, in which Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, a 23-year-old Nigerian, has been charged with attempted murder and attempted use of a weapon of mass destruction.

"There was enough information available that, if those individuals who were tasked with analyzing, interpreting and pushing forward, had been done completely then some of what occurred would not have occurred," Thompson added.

The Homeland Security Committee plans a hearing next week with Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano and White House homeland security and counterterrorism adviser John Brennan.

When asked if he has full confidence in Napolitano and Brennan, Thompson said he wants to see results of corrective actions taken by the administration in response to the failed attack.

House Homeland Security Intelligence Subcommittee Chairwoman Jane Harman, D-Calif., said concentrating on technological solutions to combat terrorism should not be the focus of the response to the incident.

Harman said emphasis must be placed on intelligence analysis and dissemination, including with state and local governments and law enforcement agencies. She also praised the response of passengers who subdued Abdulmutallab, saying a vigilant public is also key to homeland security.

She said she plans to hold an oversight hearing on how to improve intelligence operations.

The House Intelligence Committee also received a closed briefing on Wednesday by Director of National Intelligence Dennis Blair and Michael Leiter, head of the National Counterterrorism Center. Brennan later briefed both Democratic and Republican House members.

House Intelligence Committee Chairman Silvestre Reyes, D-Texas, said his committee plans to investigate three aspects of the incident, but would not disclose what those would be. But he said his investigation would examine whether failures to identify and stop Abdulmutallab were primarily the result of systemic failures or human failure.

Reyes added that he believes the Obama administration has been forthcoming about relaying information on the incident to Congress.

Thompson and Rep. Jan Schakowsky, D-Ill., noted there was no reason why Abdulmutallab decided to fly to Detroit.

Several Republicans left the briefings without commenting, including Intelligence Committee ranking member Pete Hoekstra, R-Mich., and Homeland Security Committee ranking member Peter King, R-N.Y.

But Homeland Security Appropriations Subcommittee ranking member Hal Rogers, R-Ky., said he believes problems occurred because of a lack of willingness for agencies to share information.

Rogers said he does not believe the incident signaled that the Homeland Security Department needs more funding but acknowledged more money might be needed for whole-body imaging machines at airports abroad. The chairman and ranking members of appropriations subcommittees are planning a briefing with administration officials, he added.