Overview

Lee Herbert Hamilton served 34 years in the U.S. House of Representatives (1965-1999) representing Indiana and was known as Congress's leading foreign policy voice. He is most prominent for chairing two highly controversial investigations. First; in 1992-1993; Hamilton chaired the House Task Force investigating the "October Surprise" allegations that the Reagan-Bush campaign secretly negotiated with Iran to delay release of the 52 American hostages until after the 1980 election. The Task Force controversially concluded there was "no credible evidence" of such a deal; but the investigation was later criticized for ignoring key witnesses; failing to pursue leads; and being hampered by a tight deadline. In 2017; newly declassified documents from the Bush presidential library revealed that the Task Force had been aware of evidence supporting the conspiracy that it did not pursue. Second; Hamilton served as Vice Chair (effectively co-chair) of the 9/11 Commission alongside Thomas Kean. The Commission was initially opposed by the Bush administration; underfunded ($3 million initially vs. $50 million for the Clinton/Lewinsky investigation); given restricted access to key witnesses and documents; and operated under severe time constraints. Hamilton later acknowledged that the Commission was "set up to fail" and that the executive branch had "stonewalled" the investigation. Commission members could not independently verify CIA testimony since the CIA controlled what evidence was shared.

Key Affiliations

Controversies & Concerns

Related Investigations (1)

Known Associates & Connections

Sources & Documentation

2 documented sources from official records, investigations, and reports