Pelosi to name first Muslim lawmaker to House intelligence committee

Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi announced in a closed-door meeting Tuesday she would name the first Muslim lawmaker to the House’s Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence.


A senior Democratic aide said Rep. André Carson of Indiana would be named in the “coming days” to the key national security-focused panel. Pelosi (D-Calif.) told lawmakers of the appointment during the members’ weekly caucus meeting.

Carson would be the first Muslim to serve on the committee and was the second Muslim to be elected to Congress. He already serves on the Armed Services Committee and worked for the Department of Homeland Security’s Fusion Center — the clearinghouse established by the federal government to streamline data sharing between the CIA, FBI, Department of Justice and the military.

The intelligence committee will most likely tackle a series of high-profile international crises during the 114th Congress, including the threat of Islamic militants and Ukraine.

Carson’s office didn’t immediately return a request for comment.

The announcement comes in the wake of last week’s terrorist attack by Islamic extremists and subsequent shootouts with police that left 17 people dead. World leaders gathered on Sunday for a 1 million person “solidarity” protest against the violence that targeted French Jews and journalists.

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