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Senators press Mallon to detail classified overseas work and invite him to the SCIF
Summary
At a Senate Homeland Security confirmation hearing, senators pressed Senator Mallon about public statements claiming classified overseas assignments and discrepancies with his paperwork and an FBI query, and asked that he provide classified details in the secure SCIF before a final vote.
During a confirmation hearing before the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs, senators pressed Senator Mallon about public statements in which he described undisclosed overseas work and asked him to provide classified details in the committee’s SCIF.
A committee questioner opened by reading excerpts from Mallon’s public interviews, including a statement that "I had to go do something overseas," and said the nominee’s public comments and his committee responses were "confusing and inconsistent." The questioner entered a March 11 letter and Mallon’s March 12 addendum into the record and asked Mallon to clarify under oath.
Mallon replied that he had not spoken in detail about dates, locations or mission specifics but acknowledged that, in 2015, he was asked to train with "a very small contingency" for an assignment scheduled for 2016. He described undergoing SERE training and said the travel was "official" and "classified." He also confirmed earlier travel in August 2021 to Azerbaijan and Georgia related to evacuations from Afghanistan, which appeared on his FBI report.
Committee members said they had queried the FBI and intelligence offices and found no classified folder or documents showing Mallon’s involvement. "We will want to find out more information about that," one committee member said, pressing whether classified activity should have appeared in disclosure materials.
Mallon said he complied with the committee’s paperwork and that the forms repeatedly stated that official travel could be excluded. He said he "can't give specifics" in the open hearing and that he was not authorized to release program details, but he repeatedly offered to meet with senators in the SCIF if the committee cleared that arrangement.
Committee leaders discussed arranging a private, classified briefing so senators could review relevant files. One member said an in‑SCIF review would likely resolve the discrepancy more quickly than delaying the confirmation vote. Mallon said he had no objection to participating in a classified session if the committee arranged the access.
The exchange leaves open whether the committee will schedule the SCIF review before proceeding to a final vote on Mallon’s nomination. Committee members emphasized that candor about classified activities matters for a nominee who could be confirmed to a national‑security post.
