WASHINGTON (AP) _ Top Democrats are defending their appointment of a Muslim congressman to the House Intelligence Committee.
House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi this week named Rep. Andre Carson of Indiana to the panel, which oversees the government's intelligence departments and activities. Much of the business that comes before the committee is classified.
Social media erupted with objections from conservatives who said sharing the nation's secrets with a Muslim is dangerous. Rep. Adam Schiff, the ranking Democrat on the panel, called the attacks un-American and said the inclusion of Muslims on a variety of issues is “an essential element in preventing the kind of alienation that has made too many young European Muslims vulnerable to extremism.''
Carson also is a member of the House Armed Services Committee.
