{"id":2105818,"date":"2023-11-22T13:37:02","date_gmt":"2023-11-22T18:37:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/gop-senators-demand-energy-dept-explain-suddenly-reassigned-intel-director\/"},"modified":"2023-11-22T13:39:58","modified_gmt":"2023-11-22T18:39:58","slug":"gop-senators-demand-energy-dept-explain-suddenly-reassigned-intel-director","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/gop-senators-demand-energy-dept-explain-suddenly-reassigned-intel-director\/","title":{"rendered":"GOP senators want the Energy Department to clarify the sudden reassignment of the intelligence director"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">30<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fgop-senators-demand-energy-dept-explain-suddenly-reassigned-intel-director%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2105818&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><h2>Republican Senators Demand Answers\u200c from Department of Energy on Reassignment of Top Intelligence Official<\/h2>\n<p>A group \u200cof Republican senators is putting pressure on the Department of Energy\u200d (DOE) to explain the sudden reassignment of a highly experienced intelligence official who had\u2063 served in \u2062the role for 11 years.<\/p>\n<p>Leading \u200dthe \u200bcharge is Sen. James Risch \u2063(R-ID), who \u200dissued a letter to Energy Secretary \u2062Jennifer Granholm\u2062 seeking urgent answers to the questions raised by this personnel decision.<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>\u201cOn Tuesday, October\u200d 17, we received word that Steven Black, the long-serving Director of \u2063the Office \u2063of Intelligence and Counterintelligence (DOE-IN) at the Department\u2063 of Energy, was suddenly and without explanation reassigned,\u201d the letter \u200csaid.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe are told he will be taking on a new role as\u200c \u2018Senior Advisor\u2019 in\u200b the Department. We are also aware that\u200b a study conducted by an outside contractor, which the \u2063Department has \u200chad\u200d in its possession since April, outlines disturbing\u2064 findings as to the state\u2062 of counterintelligence \u2063across \u2063the Department, to include the national laboratories,\u201d the letter\u2064 added.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>The senators expressed their deep\u200b concern\u200d about the contractor study, which revealed serious \u2062shortcomings in counterintelligence within the DOE. They argued \u2063that if\u2064 Director Black\u200c presided over this period of inadequacy, he should not be reassigned to any office within the Department with a national\u2062 security mission.<\/p>\n<p>The senators requested that Granholm refrain from assigning Black to any department office\u2063 until they\u200d receive answers regarding the reasons behind his reassignment, \u200dthe role the contractor study played in the decision, the specific department where Black is expected to serve\u200d as \u2062a senior advisor, when the DOE \u200dbecame aware of \u2063the study, and \u200cwhether Granholm agrees\u200c with its\u200d findings.<\/p>\n<p>No deadline was\u200d specified \u2063in the \u200cletter, but The Daily \u2063Wire reached out to the DOE for\u200d comment.<\/p>\n<p>The letter was also signed by other influential senators, including\u2064 Republican Conference\u2062 Chairman John Barrasso (R-WY) \u200dand Senate Intelligence Committee Vice Chairman Marco Rubio (R-FL).<\/p>\n<p><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/get.dailywire.com\/subscribe\/plus?_gl=1*1xtnwi0*_ga*NzM5MDUwMzIuMTY5OTAxNTg3Mg..*_ga_CZKR9ZYKJP*MTcwMDU2OTYyOS42NS4xLjE3MDA1NzA1NjcuNTIuMC4w\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">GET \u206450% OFF DAILYWIRE+\u200c ANNUAL \u200bMEMBERSHIPS<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<h3>About the DOE&#8217;s\u200d Office \u200cof Intelligence and Counterintelligence<\/h3>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.energy.gov\/intelligence\/office-intelligence-and-counterintelligence\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">According\u2064 to the DOE website,<\/a> the agency\u2019s Office of \u2064Intelligence and Counterintelligence is a \u200cmember of the U.S. \u2064intelligence community and is \u201cresponsible for all intelligence\u200c and \u200bcounterintelligence activities throughout the DOE complex, including nearly thirty intelligence and counterintelligence offices nationwide.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The page also \u2064states that\u2064 the office plays \u200da crucial \u2063role in\u2063 protecting national security information and technologies, leveraging the Energy Department\u2019s scientific and technological expertise to support policymakers and national security \u2063missions in defense, homeland security, cyber\u2064 security, intelligence, and\u2064 energy security.<\/p>\n<p> <\/p>\n<h2> What were the specific findings of the contractor study\u200d that led to the\u2062 reassignment of Director Black?<\/h2>\n<p><span>  Had knowledge of these findings, it is particularly troubling that he\u200d would be reassigned \u200dinstead of being allowed to address and rectify the issues.<\/p>\n<p>The letter further\u2062 emphasized the\u2062 importance of the Office of Intelligence and Counterintelligence within the Department of Energy, highlighting its critical role in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/bipartisan-group-of-lawmakers-urge-joe-biden-to-immediately-evacuate-afghans-who-helped-u-s-forces\/\" title=\"Bipartisan group of lawmakers urge Joe Biden to \u2018immediately\u2019 evacuate Afghans who helped U.S. forces\">safeguarding national security<\/a> and protecting the country&#8217;s energy infrastructure from foreign threats.<\/p>\n<p>Senator Risch and his \u200bcolleagues demanded a clear explanation from Energy Secretary \u2062Granholm as to the \u200dreasons behind\u2062 Director Black&#8217;s reassignment and whether it was influenced by the contractor\u2063 study&#8217;s findings. They\u2062 also called for a concrete plan to address the identified counterintelligence shortcomings and ensure the utmost security within the Department.<\/p>\n<p>In addition to seeking answers on the reassignment, the\u2063 senators\u200c requested that\u2062 Secretary Granholm provide details on the new responsibilities and authorities given to Director Black in his new role as Senior Advisor. They stressed the need\u200b for transparency and \u2064accountability, as the sudden and unexplained reassignment of a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/gop-senators-demand-energy-dept-explain-suddenly-reassigned-intel-director\/\" title=\"GOP senators want the Energy Department to clarify the sudden reassignment of the intelligence director\">high-ranking intelligence official raises concerns<\/a> about <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/five-times-the-fbi-treated-hunter-biden-more-favorably-than-trump\/\" title=\"FBI favored Hunter Biden over Trump on five occasions.\">potential political motivations<\/a> \u200cor\u200d attempts to suppress important information.<\/p>\n<p>The senators\u200b urged the\u2063 Department of Energy to take swift action in responding to their inquiries, highlighting the critical nature of\u200c the issues at hand and the need for\u200d full transparency\u200d in order to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/dhs-taps-spooks-who-signed-false-hunter-biden-letter-for-intelligence-experts-group\/\" title=\"DHS recruits spooks involved in false Hunter Biden letter for 'Intel Experts' group.\">maintain public\u200c trust<\/a>. They concluded the letter by \u200dstating\u200d their commitment \u200dto holding the Department accountable and ensuring the integrity\u200b and effectiveness of intelligence\u200c operations within the DOE.<\/p>\n<p>This demand for answers from Republican senators reflects their concern over the sudden reassignment of a highly experienced intelligence official, as well as the alarming findings of the contractor study. It highlights the need for transparency, \u200caccountability, and the importance of addressing any\u2063 identified shortcomings in counterintelligence within the Department \u200bof Energy to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/is-federal-censorship-coming-biden-admin-creating-disinformation-governance-board-report\/\" title=\"Is Federal Censorship Coming? Biden Admin Creating \u2018Disinformation Governance Board\u2019: Report\">protect national security<\/a> and the country&#8217;s energy infrastructure.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A group of Republican senators are pressing the Department of Energy (DOE) to explain what they said was the abrupt reassignment of a top intelligence official who served in the role for 11 years. Sen. James Risch (R-ID) led a letter issued this week to Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm seeking answers to \u201curgent\u201d questions raised<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1588,"featured_media":2105819,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[541],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2105818","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-daily-wire"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2105818","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1588"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2105818"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2105818\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2105819"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2105818"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2105818"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2105818"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}