The Hill News

The chairman of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee asked Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack for a briefing on the firing of Shirley Sherrod this week.

Rep. Ed Towns (D-N.Y.), the chairman of the committee, wrote Vilsack to ask for a briefing about the circumstances that led to Sherrod's firing in a racially-tinged incident that's drawn national attention.

"It is also important that the Department have in place a personnel process that ensures fact-based decision making, and provides all employees with a fair opportunity to provide input into those decisions," Towns wrote.

Sherrod, who is black, was fired by the USDA, reportedly under pressure from Vilsack and the Obama administration, after video emerged suggesting that she'd deliberately denied assistance to a white farmer in her capacity as a state official in charge of rural farming in Georgia. Complete video later showed that her remarks had been taken out of context! , and that she was instead telling a story of racial progress.

The emergence of the edited video prompted Vilsack and the White House to apologize publicly on Wednesday, and offer Sherrod a job back with the USDA.

"As a result of these developments, I request that Department of Agriculture officials provide a comprehensive briefing to staff of the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform as soon as possible regarding this matter," Towns wrote.

The call for more information marked a moment of agreement with the committee's top Republican, Rep. Darrell Issa (Calif.), who also signaled interest in a probe.