we do no favor to all our fellow Americans who are Muslim by ignoring real evidence that a small number of their community have , in fact , become violent Islamists and extremists . '' Lieberman said the committee 's investigation will focus on whether concerns raised by Hasan 's colleagues about his `` mental stability and political extremism '' were dealt with appropriately by senior Army officials . Among other things , a memo reportedly written two years ago by Hasan 's supervisor at Walter Reed Army Medical Center says Hasan demonstrated `` a pattern of poor judgment and a lack of professionalism '' during his residency at the hospital . CNN could not corroborate the authenticity of the memo , which was obtained by National Public Radio . Lieberman also said the committee will examine a lack of response by federal authorities after uncovering an exchange of e-mails between Hasan and a radical cleric accused of having ties to al Qaeda . The FBI has said it was aware of communication between Hasan and Anwar al-Awlaki , a Yemeni-American cleric who has promoted jihad against the United States and other Western countries . But investigators determined that those
Washington -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- A key congressional committee opened its investigation Thursday into the November 5 Fort Hood shootings with a pledge to find out if authorities failed to `` connect the dots '' and could have prevented the attack . The head of the committee promised the inquiry would not interfere with a separate investigation into the shootings being conducted by Defense Secretary Robert Gates and Attorney General Eric Holder . `` Their investigation looks backward and is punitive . Ours looks forward and is preventive , '' said Senate Homeland Security Committee Chairman Joe Lieberman , I-Connecticut , Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan , a U.S. Army psychiatrist , is accused of opening fire at a military processing center at Fort Hood Army Post , killing 13 people . Dozens of others were wounded . Hasan was shot and paralyzed during the attack and remains in a military hospital . Lieberman said the committee will carry out its investigation `` with respect for the thousands of Muslim-Americans who are serving in the American military with honor and the millions of other patriotic , law-abiding Muslims who live in our country . '' But , he added , ``