Page:CTRL0000034609 - Transcribed Interview of Kashyap Pramod Patel, (December 9, 2021).pdf/9

9 find a mutual—mutually agreeable date for testimony this week.

On Monday, December 6th, our final preparations were disrupted when we were made aware that the committee had been provided 3,000 additional pages of DOD documents that we were first able to access on Tuesday, just 2 days ago. Additionally, among the exhibits transmitted to my team by the committee on Monday were several documents to which I had not previously been given access.

Much of what has transpired to date, included but not limited to those events I've just described, lead me to question the fundamental fairness of these proceedings. Nevertheless, I am here of my own volition and plan to answer your questions to the best of my ability.

As a former congressional senior staffer, I understand and appreciate the role of this body and the value of congressional oversight. However, to provide additional context, in the extent—excuse me—in the event I am unable to answer any of your questions, I wanted to highlight some concerns I have about the proceedings today.

The events about today, which you are inquiring, occurred 11 months ago or more. I do not, as I sit here today, have a clear recollection of these specifics of the—of that period of time and do not want to speculate or guess when answering your questions. I know that the committee respects my need to ensure that my answers are completely accurate.

As you know, I am no longer a United States Government employee and do not have access to my own government communications or records that relate to your questions to the extent that such records exist. DOD has made available to us certain documents that it has produced to the committee, and these documents likely represent just a small fraction of the official records relevant to the topics you have indicated that you wish to discuss. My attorneys have requested your assistance in facilitating access