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A day after the release of the lewd tape, House and Senate members rescinded their endorsement of Trump in increasing numbers -- and others were sure to follow. In the hours after The Washington Post published a vulgar video of Trump bragging about his ability to grope women as a benefit of his celebrity, Republicans were quick to condemn Trump, but slow to rescind their endorsement.

That all changed Saturday morning as top Republicans in marquee Senate races, including New Hampshire Sen. Kelly Ayotte and Rep. Joe Heck of Nevada, said they could no longer support Trump.

"I'm a mom and an American first, and I cannot and will not support a candidate for president who brags about degrading and assaulting women," Ayotte said in a statement, adding she would write Pence's name in on her ballot.

"I believe our only option is to formally ask Mr. Trump to step down and allow Republicans the opportunity to elect someone who will provide us with the strong leadership so desperately needed and one that Americans deserve," Heck said, appearing with former GOP nominee Mitt Romney Saturday.

"Donald Trump's behavior this week, concluding with the disclosure of his demeaning comments about women and his boasts about sexual assaults, make it impossible to continue to offer even conditional support for his candidacy. Cindy, with her strong background in human rights and respect for women fully agrees with me in this," McCain said.

"Cindy and I will not vote for Donald Trump," he continued. "I have never voted for a Democratic presidential candidate and we will not vote for Hillary Clinton. We will write in the name of some good conservative Republican who is qualified to be president."

Other key figures including Alaska Sen. Dan Sullivan, Missouri Rep. Ann Wagner, former California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and Ohio Gov. John Kasich also called for Trump to step aside.

It was a sea change from Friday night, when only two Utah politicians pulled their support of Trump: Gov. Gary Herbert and House Oversight and Government Reform Committee Chairman Jason Chaffetz.

But other high-profile Republicans, including House Speaker Paul Ryan and Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus, haven't backed away from their endorsements of Trump even as they blasted his comments.

The cascade of strong condemnations of Trump on Saturday however, could accelerate the GOP's move toward a tipping point with Trump. Not only are Democrats trying to pressure GOP to cut ties with their nominee, but some Republicans are exploring whether there is any way to keep Trump from remaining their standard bearer.

Trump has survived so many shocking moments this year that most pundits have stopped predicting his downfall. But many Republican strategists said this weekend that the tape -- with Trump's casual suggestion that he could get away with sexual assault -- could be a death blow to his campaign.

Trump made the first step toward recovery early Saturday by issuing a defiant apology. "I said it, I was wrong and I apologize," Trump said in a video in which he also doubled down on his criticism of Bill and Hillary Clinton.

He insisted in interviews Saturday with The Washington Post and The Wall Street Journal that he wouldn't step down and greeted supporters on the sidewalk outside Trump Tower.

It was in many ways the final chapter of the uncomfortable waltz that Republicans have carried on all year with Trump. In key battleground states, candidates and their advisers have agonized over how to deal with Trump, straining to find language that shows they respect the will of the Republican voters, while trying to shield themselves from the stain of his more controversial comments.

Republican leaders across the spectrum seemed mostly horrified by Trump's breezy descriptions of potentially criminal conduct in his conversation with Billy Bush on "Access Hollywood," which was captured on a hot microphone in 2005 and released by The Washington Post.

In the most telling sign that the GOP may be on the verge of a break with Trump, Ryan said in a statement that Trump would no longer be attending a Republican unity event with Ryan in Wisconsin Saturday, and that he is "sickened by what I heard today."

"Women are to be championed and revered, not objectified. I hope Mr. Trump treats this situation with the seriousness it deserves and works to demonstrate to the country that he has greater respect for women than this clip suggests," Ryan said in his statement. "In the meantime, he is no longer attending tomorrow's event in Wisconsin."

Ryan reiterated Saturday that Trump's comments were a "troubling situation" but didn't pull back his endorsement.

Still, he's sending a clear signal to the many vulnerable House and Senate Republicans that it is fair game to criticize Trump in harsh terms. Before cutting ties with Trump Saturday, Ayotte was the first vulnerable Republican incumbent to weigh in Friday, calling Trump's comments "totally inappropriate and offensive."

Ohio Republican Sen. Rob Portman, who has pledged to support the GOP nominee, said Trump's comments were "offensive and wrong and he was right to apologize."

Pennsylvania GOP Sen. Pat Toomey called Trump's remarks "outrageous and unacceptable." Nevada Congressman Joe Heck, who is in a close race for Senate, said he condemned Trump's comments "in the strongest possible terms" and that the language he used was "disgraceful." Mark Kirk, an Illinois Republican who has been critical of Trump, called him a "malignant clown -- unprepared and unfit to be president of the United States."

Democrats were quick to charge that Republicans weren't going far enough. Democratic operatives made it clear that their strategy in the days ahead would be to force GOP candidates not just to say whether they condemned the comments, but whether they believed Trump should still be commander-in-chief.

A number of strategists predicted Friday that the emergence of the "Access Hollywood" tape would make it much easier to sever ties with Trump over the coming days.

How the shocking hot mic tape of Donald Trump was exposed

John Weaver, a strategist for Ohio Gov. John Kasich, urged Republicans in a tweet to "Cut Trump loose. If u have endorsed, rescind. U work for campaign, can resign. #Two Paths."

"Condemning Trump's comments while still endorsing, supporting him is outrageous," Weaver later tweeted. "#TwoPaths are available. Choose the right one."

Steve Schmidt, a Republican strategist who advised 2008 presidential candidate John McCain, noted that the Trump campaign has been in a spiral since the last debate.

"At a time when poll numbers are collapsing, this is a comportment and temperament issue. It's devastating," Schmidt said, noting that the new revelations come a week after Trump was "hate tweeting" at a former Miss Universe at 3 am.

"Most every Republican has tried to accommodate the nominee of the party despite things they find deeply awkward. We're moving into a new phase here," Schmidt said.

He noted that Trump has given little indication that he is preparing for the second debate, suggesting a strong possibility of another flubbed performance.

"If the election were held tomorrow, Republicans are down seven Senate seats, so by Monday morning you're going to see Republicans all over saying Hillary Clinton is going to win the election and we need to have divided government to keep a check on her," Schmidt said. "And people will be jumping off the boat like it's the end of the Titanic."

Beyond the big names, many Republicans expressed shock at Trump's comments, particularly those who formerly worked for Ted Cruz, and did not appreciate the Texas senator's recent endorsement of Trump.

Cruz strategist Jason Johnson tweeted Friday: "Just another Friday in #2016. Can't even watch the news with my kids."

Cruz also criticized Trump, along with other former Trump primary rivals such as Jeb Bush.

"As the grandfather of two precious girls, I find that no apology can excuse away Donald Trump's reprehensible comments degrading women," Jeb Bush tweeted.

Democrats seek to punish GOP Senate candidates over Trump audio

While Trump had few defenders on Friday, some of his advisers said they believed he could ride out the controversy.

Faith and Freedom Coalition Founder and Chairman Ralph Reed, who sits on Trump's religious advisory board, said that he believed people of faith would pay more attention to where they aligned with Trump on the issues like abortion, Planned Parenthood and the economy.

"I think a 10-year-old tape of a private conversation with at TV talk show host ranks pretty low on their hierarchy of their concerns," Reed said, adding that the tape did not change his opinion of Trump. "Everybody falls short of a standard of perfection, but Donald Trump's been married to Melania for 10,11, 12 years now. And he has a great family and has a tremendous relationship with his children... I think this case is ancient."

CNN's Ashley Killough, Dana Bash, Gloria Borger and Betsy Klein contributed to this report

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Republicans slam Trump -- but slow to pull endorsements ...

Donald Trump is under fire after a video from 2005 surfaced in which he can be heard making lewd comments about women.

Republicans across the countryhave condemned Donald Trump's comments about womenfollowing the release of a 2005 tape that shows the real estate mogul speaking in graphic terms about groping women. Some are going further, whether it'spulling their support or, in some cases, calling on Trump to step aside, including a few who never backed the GOP nominee to begin with.

Here's a look at some of the many prominent Republicans speaking out:

"Enough! Donald Trump should not be President," the former Secretary of State said in a Facebook posting late Saturday, "He should withdraw."

Rice did not endorse Hillary Clinton, however, saying on that "as a Republican, I hope to support someone who has the dignity and stature to run for the highest office in the greatest democracy on earth."

The Clinton camp has been courting potential Republican supporters for months, especially in the foreign policy arena, and Rice has been considered a major target.

In addition to my well known differences with Donald Trump on public policy issues, I have raised questions about his character after his comments on Prisoners of War, the Khan Gold Star family, Judge Curiel and earlier inappropriate comments about women. Just this week, he made outrageous statements about the innocent men in the Central Park Five case.

As I said yesterday, there are no excuses for Donald Trumps offensive and demeaning comments in the justreleased video;no woman should ever be victimized by this kind of inappropriate behavior. He alone bears the burden of his conduct and alone should suffer the consequences.

I havewanted to support the candidate our party nominated.He was not my choice, butas a past nominee, I thought it importantIrespect the fact that Donald Trump won a majority of the delegates by the rules our party set.I thought I owed his supporters that deference.

But Donald Trumps behavior this week, concluding with the disclosure of hisdemeaning commentsabout women and his boasts about sexual assaults, make it impossible to continueto offer even conditionalsupportforhis candidacy. Cindy, with her strong background in human rights and respect for women fully agrees with me in this.

Cindy and I will not vote for Donald Trump. I have never voted for a Democratic presidential candidate and we will not vote for Hillary Clinton. We will write in the name of some good conservative Republican who is qualified to be President.

I believe any candidate for President of the United States should campaign with common ethical and moral values and decency. I accept that none of us are perfect. However, I can no longer look past this pattern of behavior and inappropriate comments from Donald Trump. Therefore, I cannot, in good conscience, continue to support him nor can I vote for Hillary Clinton," Heck said at a rally in Las Vegas on Saturday.I believe our only option is to formally ask Mr. Trump to step down and allow Republicans the opportunity to elect someone who will provide us with the strong leadership so desperately needed and one that Americans deserve."

Fiorina, who lost to Trump in the Republican primaries, said the Republican National Committee should replace Trump with Mike Pence."Donald Trump does not represent me or my party," Fiorina said in a Facebook post. "I understand the responsibility of Republicans to support their nominee. Our nominee has weighty responsibilities as well. Donald Trump has manifestly failed in these responsibilities."

"In a campaign cycle that has been nothing but a race to the bottom at such a critical moment for our nation and with so many who have tried to be respectful of a record primary vote, the time has come for Governor Pence to lead the ticket," Huntsman toldThe Salt Lake Tribune.

In an interview with Utah'sFox 13 News, Chaffetz said:Im out. I can no longer in good conscience endorse this person for president. It is some of the most abhorrent and offensive comments that you can possibly imagine,

Asked about the prospect of Trump withdrawing, Chaffetz added:"I wished Mike Pence was at the top of the ticket and we're going to have to figure that out at the in the coming days and weeks, but it is tragic the way it is right now."

The senator said in a statement:As a woman, a mother, and a grandmother to three young girls, I am deeply offended by Mr. Trump's remarks, and there is no excuse for the disgustingand demeaning language. Women have worked hard to gain the dignity and respect we deserve.The appropriate next step may be for him to reexamine his candidacy."

In a Facebook post, Love wrote: "For the good of the party, and the country, he should step aside. I will not vote for Hillary Clinton who has her own trouble with the truth, has a major integrity deficit and seems to hold a disdain for hard-working Americans. With such uncertainty the role of Congress as a check and balance to the executive branch is more important than ever. It is vital for Republicans to maintain leadership of the House and for me to continue to represent and raise Utahs voice in Washington."

On Friday night, hecalled on Trump to step down immediately and hand the nomination to Pence.

Trump, meanwhile, has no plans to withdraw,tellingThe Washington Post: "Id never withdraw. Ive never withdrawn in my life ... No, Im not quitting this race. I have tremendous support.

Trump sayshe plans to take part inSunday's debate against Democratic rival Hillary Clinton.It is unclear how, or if, Trump could withdraw even if he were inclined.States have already already printed ballots with Trump's name on them, and some have begun early voting.

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Here is the list of Republicans who are not supporting Trump

Accurately and insightfully, Stronger Together points out that the debate over Social Security is distorted by "years of mythmaking, claiming we cannot afford Social Security and that the only solution is to cut the benefits on which 90 percent of American seniors rely."

With the presidential debate just a couple of weeks away, Lauer's performance serves as a teachable moment for the moderators as they prepare for the mammoth event. First, though, let's examine why Lauer was so roundly criticized.

Jesse Andreozzi

Multimedia Journalist/NBC Sports Game Logger/Emerson College Grad

The fact that Trump's base is mostly blue-collar white men might support the "racism pure and simple" reasoning, but there are other components of the Trump phenomenon.

Time and time again Republicans try, very often succeeding. Defying court orders or finding ways to circumnavigate such orders is not beneath th...

Today, the Earth got a little hotter, and a little more crowded. ...

In an election where the GOP has welcomed its most unwelcome of candidates, it's time to autopsy the autopsy, and check out some facts.

Jarrett Hill

Television/radio host, producer, designer, and a connoisseur of cheesecake

If Donald Trump's promise to deport millions of immigrants, 'day one', sounds familiar to Werner Reich, it's because, as a teenager, that's what Hitler did to him.

1. The Mexican Government's invitation to Trump (and Clinton) was a serious strategic and historic mistake for Mexico. It was a big unnecessary bet wi...

Ariel Moutsatsos

Communications and PR strategist, media commentator. Immigrant and globetrotter

Today, the Earth got a little hotter, and a little more crowded. ...

As a self-consumed, self-aggrandizing narcissist, Trump believes everyone else in the world exists to serve him. Even as he runs for president of the Unites States, Trump fails to understand and accept journalists' role, especially on the campaign trail.

It's August of a Presidential election year. Must be time for Democrats to play the race card.

James Marshall Crotty

Forbes Education Columnist; Author, 'How to Talk American'; Director, 'Crotty's Kids'; Co-founder, 'Monk Magazine'

To quote Maya Angelou, "People will forget whatyousaid, people will forget whatyoudid, but people willnever forget how you madethemfeel," especially when you offend, insult, degrade or humiliate them.

For a year, over the course of at least a dozen articles, I've been arguing that Donald Trump has provided Democrats - and indeed the nation -- the op...

Andy Schmookler

Award-winning author of What We're Up Against, former Democratic nominee for Congress in Virginia, political commentator and talk radio philosopher

From day one of the Obama administration, Mitch McConnell and his "patriotic" country of old white men (with the exception of John Boehner) gathered together like a meeting of the Dons and made it their one single purpose to block anything that our new president was going to try to do by any means necessary.

Today, the Earth got a little hotter, and a little more crowded. ...

If the media needs to acknowledge Trump's "changed" demeanor, it must also give Hillary equal time to express her convictions. Only then will there be an opportunity for the clearest comparison.

Michael Russnow

Screenwriter; former member, WGAW Board of Directors; former U.S. Senate aide

See more here:
GOP : Pictures, Videos, Breaking News - The Huffington Post

The Republican Party of Texas (RPT) is one of the two major political parties in the U.S. State of Texas. It is affiliated with the United States Republican Party. The State Chairman is Steve Munisteri, a retired attorney and businessman from Houston, and the Vice-Chair is Amy Clark of Floresville. The RPT is headquartered in Downtown Austin. The RPT's mission is to promote a conservative philosophy of government by promoting conservative principles. The RPT is legally classified as a political action committee whose structure is determined by state law and by party rules not in conflict with state law.

The Republican Party developed dramatically in Texas during Reconstruction after constitutional amendments freeing the slaves and giving suffrage to black males, as blacks joined the party that had ensured the end of slavery. African-American leaders, frequently men of mixed race who had been free and educated before the war, provided leadership in extending education and work opportunities to blacks after the war. They supported establishment of a public school system for the first time. Men such as William Madison McDonald in Fort Worth, Norris Wright Cuney in Galveston, and Henry Clay Ferguson worked for the black community and the state.

In 1870, Edmund Davis was elected Governor, but was soundly defeated in 1874. In the year 1876, Republicans had made gradual gains in Texas, earning nearly one-third of the statewide vote and electing a small number of candidates to the State Legislature (including several African Americans). Democrats established legal racial segregation and disfranchisement.

After the Reconstruction era, the Republican Party of Texas gradually lost power, and after the turn of the century, the "Lily Whites" pushed blacks out of power. The Democrats passed disfranchising laws near the turn of the century requiring poll taxes be paid prior to voter registration; together with the party establishing white primaries, black voting dropped dramatically, from more than 100,000 statewide in the 1890s, to 5,000 in 1906.[1] Mexican Americans and poor whites were also adversely affected by such measures. For more than 100 years, the Republicans were a minority party in the state.

Between the departing of Robert B. Hawley from his second U.S. House term in 1901 and the seating of Bruce Alger in 1954, the sole Republican to represent Texas in Congress was Harry M. Wurzbach, who served in the U.S. House for most of the 1920s and left office in 1931.[2] The first Republican statewide primary was held in 1926, but drew only 15,239 voters. By contrast, the Democratic primary in the same year drew 821,234 voters, as disfranchisement was well established, and Texas was essentially a one-party, white-only voting state. Only two more Republican primaries were run in the next thirty-four years.[3]

In 1961, James A. Leonard, was the "first Executive Director of the Republican Party of Texas to emphasize the Party's new intention to become a force in state government." "In the dead of night," he moved the Party Headquarters from Houston to Austin" and "mobilized the Party's meager resources to support the candidacy of a 36-year-old Associate Professor of Government, John Tower, to fill Lyndon Johnson's vacant US Senate Seat." James A. Leonard "was an architect to John Tower's breakthrough 1961 Senate victory claim to Lyndon Johnson's (US) seat..." " in the special election after Johnson had been elected as vice-president with John F. Kennedy on the Democratic ticket.[4]John Tower served in this position until his retirement in 1985.

African Americans had been mounting challenges to segregation and disfranchisement across the South to have their constitutional rights enforced. After Kennedy's assassination in 1963, President Lyndon Johnson urged passage of the civil rights legislation he had supported. Congress passed the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965. In reaction across the South, conservative whites began to realign with the Republican Party, while African Americans overwhelmingly registered with the Democratic Party, which was helping enforce their rights.

In 1966, two Republicans were elected to the US House of Representatives, including future President George H.W. Bush, for the first time since Reconstruction. That same year, three Republicans were elected to the Texas House of Representatives, and the first Republican was elected to the Texas Senate in 39 years. By 1972, Texas Republicans increased their gains to 17 members of the Texas House and 3 members of the Texas Senate.[3]

The true turning point for Texas Republicans occurred in the May 1976 primary, when Ronald Reagan defeated Gerald Ford by a two-to-one margin in the state's presidential primary. According to former Secretary of State James A. Baker III, due to Reagan's victory in the Texas primary, "the whole shape and nature of the state changed."[5]

104 years after the most recent previous Republican governor, Bill Clements eked out a narrow victory in November 1978. In 1984, Reagan, George H.W. Bush, and Phil Gramm led a GOP ticket that relied upon the RPT to provide a centralized network of communications. Throughout the rest of the decade, the total Republican vote continued to increase, and the party made large gains in both the state legislature and in local races.[3]

Since 1994, every statewide elected office has been held by a Republican. Both houses of the Texas Legislature feature Republican majorities. After the 2010 elections, Republicans held a super-majority of 101 Republican representatives in the 150-member body.[6] After the 2014 elections, majority is now 98 of 150 in the House. In the Texas Senate, Republicans hold 20 of 31 seats post-2014 after holding 19 for the previous six years. Both houses are officially organized on a bi-partisan basis, with both Republicans and Democrats holding committee chairs. At the federal level, the Texas Congressional delegation is composed of 24 Republicans and 12 Democrats; both of its US Senators are Republican. The last time Texas was carried by a Democratic presidential candidate was in 1976.

In its 2012 platform, the Republican Party of Texas rejected the teaching of "Higher Order Thinking Skills... critical thinking skills and similar programs," giving as a reason that this sort of teaching has "the purpose of challenging the student's fixed beliefs and undermining parental authority." Media ridicule led to a response from RPT Communications Director Chris Elam that the inclusion of the term "critical thinking skills" was an oversight which cannot be corrected until 2014, when the next state convention will occur.[7][8]

In a 2014 interview with YNN, executive director Beth Cubriel voiced her opposition to equal pay legislation and encouraged women to negotiate better for the pay they deserve instead of backing up court dockets and saying that "Men are better negotiators. I would encourage women instead of pursuing the courts for action to become better negotiators".[9]

On June 7, 2014 approximately 8,000 delegates to the Republican Party of Texas State Convention in Fort Worth, Texas voted to add a plank to the platform in support of reparative therapy for homosexuals. Shortly after the convention, Chairman Munsiteri said in an interview with Texas Public Radio that he was opposed to the plank and that its inclusion in the platform was due to a "parliamentary maneuver" that prevented debate on the plank before the platform as a whole was adopted and that there is no way in knowing if the plank is representative of the views of the majority of Texas Republicans.[10] Despite Chairman Munisteri's statement, the platform plank received strong support from delegates in the majority of Senate District conventions across the state and has been vigorously defended by previous state chair Cathie Adams [11] as well as several statewide grassroots organizations such as "Texas Values," the "Texas Republican Assembly," and the Eagle Forum.[12][13][14]

The full language of the reparative therapy plank is as follows:

Reparative Therapy- We recognize the legitimacy and efficacy of counseling, which offers reparative therapy and treatment for those patients seeking healing and wholeness from their homosexual lifestyle. No laws or executive orders shall be imposed to limit or restrict access to this type of therapy. [15][16][17][18][19][20]

The Republican Party of Texas controls all elected statewide offices, holds a 1912 majority in the Texas Senate, and a 9555 majority in the Texas House of Representatives. Republicans also hold both of the state's U.S. Senate seats and 24 of the state's 36 U.S. House seats.

Biannually, in even-numbered years, delegates at the Texas GOP State Convention elect a man and a woman from each of the thirty-one State Senatorial districts to serve a two-year term on the State Republican Executive Committee (SREC). The State Republican Executive Committee along with the elected State Chair and State Vice Chair manage the affairs of the Republican Party of Texas between state conventions.[21]

The official college Republican Party of Texas' student wing is Texas College Republicans, which has over 35 chapters statewide.[22]

High School Republicans of Texas is the Republican Party of Texas' Official High School Republican Auxiliary with chapters in high schools and communities across Texas. For more information, visit their website at http://www.hsrtx.org.[23]

The Texas Federation of Republican Women (TFRW) is a volunteer women's organization that has "long-standing goals of education, training, participation in government, electing Republicans and encouraging Republican women to run for office". TFRW has 164 local clubs across Texas with over 10,000 members.[24]

The Texas Republican County Chairmen's Association (TRCCA) is composed of the elected chairman of the county Republican party organizations in Texas and operates to support and provide networking opportunities for elected Republican county chairmen in Texas.[25]

The Texas Young Republican Federation (TYRF) is an organization composed of Young Republican clubs across Texas which are open to registered voters who are between the ages of 18 and 40 years old. The TYRF goals are grassroots activism, leadership development, community service and club development.[26]

The Texas Federation for Republican Outreach is committed to increasing participation and affiliation of African-American voters within the Republican Party, and to increase the number of elected Republican African-American candidates in Texas.[27]

The Texas Republican Assembly is a grassroots volunteer organization dedicated to promoting and electing conservative Republican candidates in Texas. There are six charter clubs across Texas.[28]

The Republican National Hispanic Assembly has a chapter in Texas, whose mission is to increase participation and affiliation of Hispanic American voters within the Republican Party, and to increase the number of elected Republican Hispanic candidates in Texas.[29]

The Latino National Republican Coalition of Texas believes "in active civic engagement as a means to bridge the gap between the Hispanic Community and the GOP." There are five chapters throughout Texas.[30]

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Republican Party of Texas - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Top U.S. counterterrorism officials say they worry a potential terrorist could be hiding among refugees who are looking to come to the United States after escaping the brutal war in Syria.

"It's clearly a population of concern, the director of the National Counterterrorism Center, Nicholas Rasmussen, told the House Homeland Security Committee on Wednesday.

Committee Chairman Mike McCaul, R-Texas, went further, saying it would be a huge mistake to bring refugees from the conflict to the U.S. even as an estimated 4 million children, women and men have been forced to flee Syria and another 7 million have been displaced from their homes there, unable to leave.

Senior officials leading the State Departments refugee efforts say the U.S. government has a long history of caring for the innocent victims of war.

Its not a matter of should we do it, its really a matter of how we do it, Larry Bartlett, the State Departments director of Refugee Admission for the Bureau of Population, Refugees and Migration, told ABC News. One of the fundamental principles of our country is that we care about others. We will help others.

Bartlett insisted every refugee is vetted through an intensive system, drawing on information and expertise from several U.S. intelligence agencies, including the Defense Department.

We have a very slow process of moving refugees through our pipeline, and part of it is because of the security vetting component, Bartlett said.

Homeland security officials also testified Wednesday that any potential refugees from Syria would receive the most rigorous screening.

"Any tasking we're given ... will be as thorough as we can make it," said Francis Taylor, the head of the Department of Homeland Securitys intelligence office.

Yet thats not reassurance enough for McCaul and other leading Republicans, who recently penned a letter to National Security Advisor Susan Rice cautioning that the U.S. governments ability to screen refugees from Syria might not be sufficient.

The continued civil war and destabilization in Syria undeniably make it more difficult to acquire the information needed to conduct reliable threat assessments on specific refugees, they wrote in the letter two weeks ago.

With tens of thousands of Syrians joining groups in the region like the Islamic State, the U.S. government cannot allow the refugee process to become a backdoor for jihadists, they added.

At the hearing Wednesday, an FBI official also questioned whether the U.S. intelligence community with few assets on the ground in Syria and little insight into the country from elsewhere can provide authorities with the information they need to properly determine whether any refugee could pose a threat.

"You have to have information to vet, said FBI Assistant Director Michael Steinbach, who heads the bureaus counterterrorism division. Databases don't [have] the information on those individuals, and that's the concern.

Still, Rasmussen vowed the full weight of the U.S. intelligence community would be employed to "unearth" any concerning information about potential refugees. And Bartlett and other State Department officials say the U.S. is far from opening the flood gates.

Of the 7 million of Syrians seeking refuge, only about 500 have been let in the United States. Compare that with Syrias neighbor, Jordan, whose Foreign Minister recently said theyve let in over 80,000 Syrians -- a figure that represents nearly 21 percent of Jordans total population. Or compare it to the response to the Iraq war, with the U.S. admitting over 120,000 Iraqis.

So far Germany and Sweden are leading the charge when it comes to accepting Syrians. Germany has let in nearly 12,000 refugees, not including those who have sought asylum there.

Officials at the State Department were quick to report that overall the U.S. accepts more refugees than the rest of the world combined. Bartlett and others also say they expect the U.S. to steadily increase the number of Syrians it accepts as applications at the United Nations continue to pile up.

Original post:
Officials Fear Syrian Refugees Could Pose Threat to US ...