While President Trump's controversial executive order on immigration caught much of official Washington off-guard, ABC News has learned its authors included congressional staff who secretly worked on the measure without the knowledge of many lawmakers.
Capitol Hill sources briefed on the process said that House Judiciary Committee staff worked on the immigration ban after the election, as part of their work with the Trump transition team.
At least one committee staffer signed a non-disclosure agreement regarding the work, a source familiar with the matter told ABC News.
While it's common for congressional staff to volunteer with presidential transition teams, the signing of non-disclosure agreements is highly unusual, if not unprecedented, congressional sources said.
News of the non-disclosure agreements was first reported by Politico.
Trump's executive order -- which imposed "extreme vetting," suspended most travel to the U.S. from seven predominantly Muslim countries and banned Syrian refugees indefinitely -- caught congressional leaders by surprise when it was announced last week. Many said they first learned it had been enacted through the news media.
The order and its unveiling was led by Stephen Miller, Trump's senior policy adviser who worked extensively on immigration issues in the office of Sen. Jeff Sessions, R-Alabama.
On Tuesday, House Speaker Paul Ryan said he became aware of the executive order "at the time it was being issued" and he was briefed "as it rolled out." He added he had a "good" conversation with John Kelly, the secretary of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), on Monday and they agreed in the future to "make sure things are done correctly."
House Judiciary Committee Chairman Bob Goodlatte, R-Virginia, told members in the House GOP Conference meeting today that he gave his staff permission to volunteer for the transition and that work ended on January 20th, according to multiple sources.
Goodlatte did not indicate whether he knew about the non-disclosure agreements and this particular executive order, but sources said he insisted that his staff had nothing to with the rollout of the order, which he echoed in a statement after the meeting.
"My staff on the House Judiciary Committee are some of the best on Capitol Hill. They are experts in their respective fields and I proudly allowed them to provide their expertise to the Trump transition team on immigration law," he said in a statement Tuesday morning.
"To be clear, while they gave advice to the new administration, they did not have decision making authority on the policy," he continued. "The final decision was made at the highest levels of the Trump Administration and I support the President’s executive order. My staff had no control of the language contained in the President’s executive order, the timing of the announcement, the rollout and subsequent implementation and the coordination with Congress. I am proud of my staff—they are an asset to me, Congress, and the American people."
Ryan downplayed the controversy, insisting it was normal for congressional staffers to work with the president's administration to craft policy. He deferred to the House Judiciary Committee on further details and was not asked directly about the NDAs.
Ryan stressed it is the president’s chief responsibility to keep Americans safe, but admitted it is "regrettable" there was confusion over the weekend on the particulars of the executive order.
He dismissed criticism of the order, pointing to the SAFE Act that passed through the House in the wake of the Paris massacre. He said he is supportive of the government’s refugee resettlement program, but said it requires proper review and vetting.
"There is nothing wrong with taking a pause," he said.
from ABC News: Politics http://ift.tt/2kQZaoi
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