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"This investigation must happen quickly and thoroughly in order to provide the devastated families and communities answers that they have been waiting years for,” Rep. Elise Stefanik said in a statement announcing the probe this week.
The October 6, 2018 crash happened in the Town of Schoharie, about 25 miles west of Albany, located in Schoharie County.
Investigators said the SUV-style stretch limousine crossed through an intersection and struck an unoccupied vehicle, killing 17 people in the limo celebrating a birthday, along with the driver and two bystanders.
The limousine had failed a DMV inspection a month prior to the crash and should not have been on the road, the governor’s office later said.
Officials also confirmed that the driver of the limousine did not have the proper license to be operating the vehicle.
Stefanik, the third-ranking Republican in the House, had previously questioned FBI Director Christopher Wray over the agency’s relationship with the limousine company’s owner, Shahed Hussein, who had served as an FBI informant.
Stefanik accused the FBI of turning a blind eye on Hussein, who is reported to have falsified safety inspection reports at the company in the months leading up to the crash.
“The Schoharie limo tragedy could have been avoided had a blind eye not been turned on this FBI informant, his associates, and their history of breaking the law,” Stefanik said. “The Schoharie community deserves answers for this tragic loss of life, and I am proud to advocate for them at the highest levels.”
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