SANDRA SMITH (ANCHOR): On to a Fox News exclusive. The Department of Homeland Security now barring staffers from the Democratic-led House Oversight Committee from visiting border facilities this week after quote "disruptive behavior on their last trip."
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So there was a lot going on here, including not abiding by the rules and the time limits that were set. So were they right to say, "Not this time?"
JUAN WILLIAMS (FOX NEWS POLITICAL ANALYST): No. Because these are elected members of Congress, and they are a branch of government. So they may report to the executive, but Congress has oversight responsibilities, and this is the Oversight Committee. So what you get here is, we are a government of laws. And we should have the ability for our elected officials to go and see if laws are being followed. And now you get a situation, again — I say, that's the kind of cut and dry approach — but the politics here are so intense. You have policies being put in place by the—
SMITH: By the way, it wasn't a firm "No," Juan. They could have said, "We will commit to abiding by the rules and time frames"—
WILLIAMS: By your rules, correct.
SMITH: DHS says, "Unless we receive a firm commitment that the committee and its staff will comply full with all existing guidelines and policies." So they could have said, "Okay, absolutely, set the rules, we'll follow them." And then they would be allowed to go.
WILLIAMS: But that would negate the ability of the congressional officials to investigate the conditions in the detention centers and at the border.
SMITH: All right, that conversation will continue.
