Kristi Noem Alleges Former Biden Officials ‘Weaponized’ TSA Watchlists Against January 6 Suspects
- DHS Secretary Kristi Noem has launched a blistering attack on former Biden administration officials, alleging they “weaponized” TSA watchlists to target January 6 suspects and even airline mask-mandate resisters. Five senior TSA officials have already been removed from their positions following an internal enquiry and the investigation has been referred to the Department of Justice.
Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem has accused former Biden administration officials of ‘weaponizing’ the TSA to target innocent American citizens by placing them on a terrorist watchlist.
In a highly charged statement, Noem’s DHS accused the Biden administration of “clear political bias” because rioters involved in the 2020 George Floyd protests were not flagged on TSA watchlists.
Following an internal investigation, the DHS said it had “uncovered widespread abuses” by officials who were under the direction of then-TSA administrator David Pekoske.
The two key complaints are that:
- The TSA used the January 6 riot as a pretext to watchlist and harass several dozen American citizens, despite there being no evidence of them being involved in wrongdoing or illegal behavior.
- American citizens who had “exercised their individual rights and resisted mask mandates on airplanes” were watchlisted and denied boarding even after the CDC lifted its indoor masking rules.
In both cases, the American citizens were kept on these watchlists for up to six months after the event (in the case of the mask refusniks, the six-month timer started at the point that the CDC lifted its indoor mask mandate).
The DHS says “some TSA officials raised serious concerns about these privacy violations and political targeting” but were ultimately “ignored” by their superiors.
It is also claimed that intelligence officials and President Biden’s TSA Chief Privacy Officer had “sounded the alarm” over a potential abuse of power, but the systematic targeting of American citizens continued.
The DHS admits that Pekoske has the power to place “dangerous criminals and terrorists” on the TSA watchlist and direct Federal Air Marshals to carry out surveillance on individuals to prevent an attack on the American people.
Noem, however, asserts that the American citizens placed on these watchlists by officials under the leadership of Pekoske “posed no threat.”
Five officials who Noem claims “betrayed the trust of the American people” have been removed from their positions, including career officials Susan Tashiro, who is the TSA’s Executive Assistant Administrator for Operations Support, and James Dunlap, who is the Deputy Assistant Administrator for Intelligence and Analysis.
The DHS has referred the matter to the DOJ’s Civil Rights Division and to Congress for further investigation, while internal operating procedures are being rewritten to ensure greater oversight.
