Rep. Issa's House Panel Requests Homeland Security Documents

WASHINGTON (AP) — A House committee wants the Homeland Security Department to provide documents about a policy requiring political appointees to review many Freedom of Information Act requests before releasing them.

The request for e-mails and other documents is in a letter obtained Sunday by The Associated Press.

The request comes from the chairman of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, Republican congressman Darrell Issa of California. It is one of the earliest moves by House Republicans who have vowed to launch numerous probes of President Barack Obama's administration.

The Freedom of Information Act is supposed to ensure the quick public release of government documents without political consideration.

Oversight panel spokesman Frederick Hill says that documents the panel already has received seem inconsistent with comments by Homeland Security officials.