The House Government Oversight and Reform Committee has a problem, a very big problem. How can it conduct a timely and thorough review of the latest tranche of highly classified emails to and from Hillary Clinton Hillary Diane Rodham ClintonBiden leads Trump by 36 points nationally among Latinos: poll Democratic super PAC to hit Trump in battleground states over coronavirus deaths Battle lines drawn on precedent in Supreme Court fight MORE when many are so sensitive that not even Committee Members and staff are cleared to read them? In fact, press reports indicate that a number are so heavily redacted that without access to the unedited versions they effectively are useless to congressional investigators. The FBI turned over the emails to the Committee on Aug. 17.

The answer to this conundrum is simple: have members of the FBI team that was assigned to the case temporarily detailed to the House Committee, where they could assist with the inquiry. In effect, the agents would become full House staff members, reporting directly to the Chairman of the Committee. Their salaries and benefits would continue to be paid by their home agencies. Upon completion of their work, the agents would return to the positions they now hold in the FBI.

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This type of arrangement is well-known across the Hill where federal employees routinely take a leave of absence from their home departments or agencies to gain experience in the legislative branch. Congress benefits from their skills, contacts within the Executive Branch, familiarity with the inter-agency review process and cost-free labor.

The value of FBI “detailees” in this instance would be incalculable. First, the Agents already are “cleared” to read the highly classified Clinton emails and would not have to undergo a lengthy vetting process. Second, they bring to the table an intimate knowledge of the investigation and unmatched expertise in forensic analysis.

In his press conference announcing the Bureau’s decision not to proceed with a criminal referral, Director James Comey all but encouraged Congress to press ahead with an inquiry into Ms. Clinton’s false and misleading statements to Congress and the American people saying, "There is evidence to support a conclusion that any reasonable person in Secretary Clinton's position, or in the position of those with whom she was corresponding about those matters, should have known that an unclassified system was no place for that conversation."

Well over one hundred FBI agents are said by media sources to be assigned to the various threads of the Clinton investigation. Most, if not all, would have received at least a Top Secret clearance, while a significant number would have been given access to the most sensitive compartmented information (SCI). Barring objections by the Justice Department, their transition to the House investigation should be seamless.

On Aug. 17, House Republicans also received from the FBI confidential notes taken by FBI agents who interviewed the former Secretary of State on July 2nd at FBI headquarters in Washington. This was several days before Director Comey publicly announced his decision not to send a criminal referral on Ms. Clinton’s email activities to the Attorney General. Since there is no official transcript of the interview, and Ms. Clinton surprisingly was not put under oath, agents with first-hand knowledge of the exchange could help corroborate the accuracy of the notes.

Equally important for House investigators would be the fact that FBI agents posted to the committee staff would have a thorough understanding of the laws pertaining to the handling of classified information. The Bureau is the principal government agency responsible for conducting background checks on those seeking security clearances as well as investigating those suspected of criminal conduct in connection with those clearances.

House Republicans, and a significant portion of the U.S. electorate, believe Ms. Clinton lied under oath to Congress and to the American public on numerous instances when addressing the issues relating to official emails stored in her home on an unauthorized personal server.

Late word is that the FBI might transfer its cache of emails and notes to the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence (HPSCI) instead of the House Government Oversight and Reform Committee in a bid to resolve the redaction issue. While this move has merit, it bypasses the committee that has spent years seeking the accountability of Ms. Clinton for the misuse of classified material, destruction of public records and intentional misleading of Congress on her handling of emails.

Bringing FBI personnel onto the Government Oversight and Report Committee staff would solve each of these issues all at once and would fast-track the investigation that for far-too-long has been dogged by Administration foot-dragging and the obfuscation and transparent deceit of the former Secretary of State and her surrogates.

Rand H. Fishbein, PH.D. is President of Fishbein Associates, Inc., a public policy consulting firm based in Potomac, Md. He is a former Professional Staff Member (Majority) of both the U.S. Senate Foreign Operations Appropriations and Defense Appropriations subcommittees. Dr. Fishbein served as one of two Foreign Policy/Intelligence Analysts on the U.S. Senate Committee investigating the Iran-Contra Affair and was its only Middle East specialist.

The views expressed by authors are their own and not the views of The Hill.