Pentagon denies Republican accusations it is shutting them out

By Idrees Ali and Phil Stewart

WASHINGTON (Reuters) -The Pentagon on Wednesday denied accusations from senior Republican lawmakers that the agency's top policy official, Elbridge Colby, was not fully briefing Congress on important national security issues, suggesting a widening rift between the Department of Defense and senators from both parties.

Republican and Democratic lawmakers slammed the Pentagon's top official on Tuesday for a lack of briefings and said at times officials appeared to be undermining U.S. President Donald Trump's own policies, in a rare bipartisan show of frustration with the administration.

The lawmakers had singled out Colby, the Pentagon's under secretary of defense for policy.

"The Department values its relationship with the Hill, and we look forward to continuing to work collaboratively with Congress to support a robust national defense," Pentagon spokesperson Kingsley Wilson said in a statement.

Wilson added that Colby's team had "briefed Congress dozens of times, in both classified and unclassified settings, in addition to other meetings." She did not provide details on what the briefings were about.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has worked to control the information flow about the world's most powerful military and told Pentagon staff they must obtain permission before interacting with members of Congress.

During the more than two-hour hearing of the Senate Armed Services Committee on Tuesday, lawmakers said senior Pentagon officials were unresponsive to questions and concerns from Congress.

"Man, I can't even get a response, and we're on your team," Senator Dan Sullivan, a Republican who is a staunch Trump administration supporter, said.

Colby is set to meet Sullivan later on Wednesday, officials said.

Colby's team is one of the most powerful parts of the Pentagon, responsible for making policy recommendations to Hegseth.

(Reporting by Idrees Ali and Phil StewartEditing by Rod Nickel)