Representatives from the Office of Management and Budget, Department of Homeland Security and Office of Personnel Management failed to attend a House committee-hosted classified meeting on the OPM breaches Tuesday, Nextgov reported Tuesday.
Aliya Sternstein writes House Armed Services Committee Chairman Mac Thornberry (R-Texas) said the officials’ last-minute decision not to testify at the closed-door briefing because their testimonies would have been transcribed is “unacceptable.”
“There is no excuse at all for being unwilling to explain on the record about how the breach happened and what we are doing to prevent another one,” Thornberry added.
The Washington Post reported that OMB, DHS and OPM Â officials explained in a joint statement that they have participated in many classified and open congressional meetings to provide lawmakers with information about the cyber attacks.
The officials also noted they are willing to cooperate with members of Congress in future briefings, according to the report by Eric Yoder.
HASC said Defense Department and intelligence community representatives attended the recent meeting.
