Conversation with HSNWRepresentative Peter King, incoming Homeland Security Committee chairman
Representative Peter King (R-New York), the incoming chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee, was interviewed by Homeland Security NewsWire’s editor-in-chief, Ben Frankel; King’s top three priorities as chairman: examine radicalization in the U.S. Muslim community; air cargo security; and measures to prevent the detonation of dirty bombs in American cities
HSNW: Regarding Plum island: are you, Rep. Tim Bishop, and the New York congressional delegation still fighting to try and keep the Plum Island BioLab open or have you given up and accepted the proposal to build a new lab in Kansas?
Representative Peter King: Tim Bishop, who has the facility in his district, is pretty much carrying the ball on that. It’s been bi-partisan, and I’ve pretty much deferred to Bishop on this. But, like Bishop and others in the New York delegation, I am opposed to its complete closure. I know that plans are progressing at the Department of Homeland Security to transition the activities at Plum Island to the new lab in Kansas. It is my understanding that the current employees would be offered to transfer there, but I recognize that that might not be what many of them would want. On the other hand, the new lab will have a lot of capabilities that Plum Island doesn’t have, such as capabilities to research many diseases important to homeland security. So I am watching closely to see how the Department convinces Congress that their new lab can be built safely, and will continue to do so in my role as chairman of the Homeland Security Committee.
HSNW: The National Academy of Sciences was about to release the definitive, the authoritative report on what happened with Bruce Ivins and the anthrax attacks in 2001. A couple of weeks ago, the FBI gave the NAS panel a lot of new information, causing them to delay the report. Do you know what’s going on there exactly?
King: I’ve read pretty much what you’ve read. I mean, it’s been from the start a controversial issue, going back to the very beginning, as to who was being targeted, who the FBI was zeroing in on, whether or not the person they ultimately named is actually the one who is guilty. Then you have the FBI coming up with information here at the last minute, which some perceive as being pressure. I honestly don’t know, and I really don’t want to comment. I have not gotten any updated briefing on it over the events of the last several weeks, but I really do look forward to get a briefing, and also to the final report, because the whole anthrax situation, in a way, became personal for members of Congress because the anthrax attack was on Congress. And
