Former CIA officer to join House Homeland panel

House Homeland Security Chairman Michael McCaul (R-Texas) announced Wednesday that seven new Republicans would be joining the committee next Congress, including a former CIA officer, Air Force pilot and U.S. attorneys.

McCaul tapped Reps.-elect John Katko (R-N.Y.), Will Hurd (R-Texas), Buddy Carter (R-Ga.), Mark Walker (R-N.C.), Barry Loudermilk (R-Ga.) and John Ratcliffe (R-Texas). He also named Martha McSally (R-Ariz.) to the panel, in the event that her lead over Rep. Ron Barber (D) holds after a recount.

{mosads}“Each of these individuals are extremely dedicated and I look forward to working with all the members of the committee on both sides of the aisle to ensure DHS is capable of carrying out its core mission of protecting the homeland,” McCaul said in an emailed statement.

Hurd brings along his experience as a former CIA officer; he did undercover work in the Middle East. His election makes him the only former CIA officer in Congress.

Hurd said in an emailed statement that he felt “honored” to be tapped for the committee, noting that his district includes more than 800 miles of the U.S.-Mexico border. 

“This is an area that I’ve worked on while serving as an undercover officer in the CIA and I look forward to working with Chairman McCaul and the other members of the committee to address these important issues,” he added.

McSally, a former Air Force pilot, had a 16-vote lead over Barber, but that small margin triggered a recount.

Barber is currently a member of the Homeland Security Committee, so the district should have a lawmaker on the panel regardless of the recount. McSally was also named to the Armed Services Committee last week, pending a decision in the recount.

Katko joins the panel after a career as an assistant U.S. attorney in New York. Before resigning this year to run for Congress, he worked on many gang, fraud and drug related cases.

Ratcliffe is a former federal prosecutor from the George W. Bush administration. He served as a terrorism and national security adviser to then-Attorney General John Ashcroft. As a U.S. Attorney in a border state, Ratcliffe also prosecuted illegal immigration cases.

Immigration has been an important piece of McCaul’s committee agenda.

— This story was updated at 1:47 p.m.