{"id":2329115,"date":"2024-08-22T11:05:00","date_gmt":"2024-08-22T15:05:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/rand-paul-presses-tsa-over-weaponization-of-terror-watchlists\/"},"modified":"2024-08-22T11:07:45","modified_gmt":"2024-08-22T15:07:45","slug":"rand-paul-presses-tsa-over-weaponization-of-terror-watchlists","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/rand-paul-presses-tsa-over-weaponization-of-terror-watchlists\/","title":{"rendered":"Rand Paul Presses TSA Over Weaponization Of Terror Watchlists"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">18<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Frand-paul-presses-tsa-over-weaponization-of-terror-watchlists%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2329115&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>It seems like you&#8217;ve\u2064 provided a segment of\u2062 HTML and content from an article or a webpage, specifically focused on Senator Rand \u200bPaul&#8217;s\u2064 concerns regarding \u200cthe Transportation Security Administration&#8217;s (TSA)\u200c practices related to surveillance and watchlists. \u2064 <\/p>\n<p>If you need assistance with \u200bthis content, such as summarizing the main points, converting it into a different format, or working out specific coding\u200d tasks, please\u200b specify what you&#8217;re looking for, and I&#8217;d\u200b be glad to help! 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Rand Paul pressed the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) Wednesday on why the agency is weaponizing watchlists to spy on political dissidents as terrorists. <\/p>\n<p>In a letter to TSA Administrator David Pekoske, Paul cited recent whistleblower reports <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2024\/08\/07\/watchdog-demands-dhs-inspector-general-investigate-new-abuses-of-surveillance-state\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">disclosing<\/a> the transportation agency&rsquo;s surveillance of former Rep. Tulsi Gabbard, D-Hawaii, and the wife of a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/air-marshals-revolt-against-biden-plan-to-leave-flights-unprotected\/\" title=\"Air Marshals Revolt Against Biden Plan to Leave Flights Unprotected\">federal air marshal<\/a> through the Quiet Skies program.<\/p>\n<div class=\"fdrlst__b89e9-3ac2f2bff2a11be6c16b8327067f8147 fdrlst__b89e9-paragraph-2\" id=\"fdrlst__b89e9-3ac2f2bff2a11be6c16b8327067f8147\"><\/div>\n<p>&ldquo;Taken together, these incidents seem to be part of a broader pattern in which TSA has repurposed Quiet Skies to surveil individuals based on their political activities, even when there is no evidence of wrongdoing,&rdquo; Paul wrote.<\/p>\n<p>The <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/watchdog-group-calls-on-doj-ig-to-release-findings-in-fbi-whistleblower-settlement\/\" title=\"Group Urges DOJ IG to Publish FBI Whistleblower Settlement Results\">whistleblower protection group<\/a>, Empower Oversight, sent letters to the inspector general for the Department of Homeland Security earlier this month detailing the accusations of misconduct. <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2024\/08\/07\/watchdog-demands-dhs-inspector-general-investigate-new-abuses-of-surveillance-state\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">According<\/a> to a protected disclosure from a whistleblower whose own wife was &ldquo;improperly labeled a &lsquo;domestic terrorist,&rsquo;&rdquo; the U.S. Federal Air Marshals Service (FAMS) &ldquo;was improperly targeting individuals for enhanced surveillance&rdquo; including Gabbard. The <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/watchdog-demands-dhs-ig-investigate-surveillance-state\/\" title=\"Watchdog Demands DHS IG Investigate Surveillance State\">whistleblower&#038;rsquo<\/a>;s wife was investigated under FAMS &ldquo;Special Mission Coverage&rdquo; because &ldquo;she attended President Donald Trump&rsquo;s January 6, 2021 speech at the ellipse in Washington D.C.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;She was nowhere near the U.S. Capitol complex that day, yet her FAMS file falsely stated she &lsquo;unlawfully entered the United States Capitol Building on [Jan. 6, 2021],&rsquo;&rdquo; the recent letter read.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Ultimately, the whistleblower was able to work with the FBI to have his wife&rsquo;s name removed from the terror watchlist in the spring of 2023,&rdquo; the letter continued. &ldquo;Yet clearing his own wife&rsquo;s name did not remedy the clear abuses of FAMS surveillance or deter further abuses &mdash; as the recent Tulsi Gabbard revelations demonstrate.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<div class=\"fdrlst__b89e9-3e2ad0afcea640ba6797a3d11d551cf9 fdrlst__b89e9-paragraph-6\" id=\"fdrlst__b89e9-3e2ad0afcea640ba6797a3d11d551cf9\"><\/div>\n<p>The allegations, Paul wrote Wednesday, &ldquo;echo concerns highlighted in a previous report by the Department of Homeland Security&rsquo;s Office of Inspector General (OIG), which identified critical deficiencies in TSA&rsquo;s management of the Quiet Skies program.&rdquo; Deficiencies include &ldquo;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/pushed-me-over-the-edge-irate-parent-rejects-principals-apology-after-video-targeting-white-women\/\" title=\"\u2018Pushed Me Over The Edge\u2019: Irate Parent Rejects Principal\u2019s Apology After Video Targeting White Women\">insufficient oversight<\/a> and inadequate safeguards to protect against the misuse of passenger data.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Federal <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/while-housed-at-fort-pickett-in-virginia-afghan-evacuees-faced-few-repercussions-for-crimes-like-physical-abuse-vehicle-theft\/\" title=\"While Housed At Fort Pickett In Virginia, Afghan Evacuees Faced \u2018Few Repercussions\u2019 For Crimes Like Physical Abuse, Vehicle Theft\">air marshals<\/a>, Empower Oversight reported in a <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2024\/08\/08\/watchdog-tsa-punishing-whistleblower-who-exposed-surveillance-abuses-is-classic-retaliation\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">follow-up letter<\/a>, surveilled Gabbard on at least eight separate flights after the former Hawaii lawmaker and critic of the surveillance state criticized President Joe Biden on Fox News.<\/p>\n<p>Empower Oversight President Tristan Leavitt charged the TSA with initiating a probe against an anonymous whistleblower who came forward, writing, &ldquo;a retaliatory investigation that hunts for whistleblowers in order to intimidate them into silence is exactly the wrong step for the agency to take.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Instead, agency leadership should be investigating the abuses on which FAMs are blowing the whistle,&rdquo; Leavitt wrote.<\/p>\n<div class=\"fdrlst__b89e9-1daf9c95975d42ff6f77a208f0d57bc8 fdrlst__b89e9-paragraph-10\" id=\"fdrlst__b89e9-1daf9c95975d42ff6f77a208f0d57bc8\"><\/div>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\"> <span class=\"WrbUJ721owpHaTd\"><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"500\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">&#128680;&#129525; <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/EMPOWR_us?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">@EMPOWR_us<\/a> has confirmed from whistleblowers that <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/TulsiGabbard?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">@TulsiGabbard<\/a> was under Quiet Skies surveillance on not just one, or two, or even three flights&hellip; She has had Air Marshals there to monitor her on EIGHT FLIGHTS since her July 23 interview with <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/IngrahamAngle?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">@IngrahamAngle<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Furthermore,&hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/XMebbNgSZc\">https:\/\/t.co\/XMebbNgSZc<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Tristan Leavitt (@tristanleavitt) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/tristanleavitt\/status\/1821221584255750168?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">August 7, 2024<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/span> <\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<p>Read the full letter from Sen. Paul below: <\/p>\n<p style=\" margin: 12px auto 6px auto; font-family: Helvetica,Arial,Sans-serif; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; font-size: 14px; line-height: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; -x-system-font: none; display: block;\">   <a title=\"View Paul TSA Letter on Scribd\" href=\"https:\/\/www.scribd.com\/document\/761511172\/Paul-TSA-Letter#from_embed\" style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">Paul TSA Letter<\/a> by <a title=\"View The Federalist's profile on Scribd\" href=\"https:\/\/www.scribd.com\/user\/274202084\/The-Federalist#from_embed\" style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">The Federalist<\/a> on Scribd<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" class=\"scribd_iframe_embed\" title=\"Paul TSA Letter\" src=\"https:\/\/www.scribd.com\/embeds\/761511172\/content?start_page=1&amp;view_mode=scroll&amp;access_key=key-AgaulCKW73oRXc4mUQRM\" data-auto-height=\"false\" data-aspect-ratio=\"0.7729220222793488\" scrolling=\"no\" id=\"doc_8153\" width=\"100%\" height=\"600\" frameborder=\"0\"><\/iframe> <\/p>\n<div class=\"fdrlst__b89e9-a9a8bf9b93e2f7e8cd0237973fabc4e9 fdrlst__b89e9-after-post-content\" id=\"fdrlst__b89e9-a9a8bf9b93e2f7e8cd0237973fabc4e9\"><\/div>\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator\">\n<div class=\"article-author-description fst-italic\">      Tristan Justice is the western correspondent for The Federalist and the author of Social Justice Redux, a conservative newsletter on culture, health, and wellness. He has also written for The Washington Examiner and The Daily Signal. His work has also been featured in Real Clear Politics and Fox News. Tristan graduated from George Washington University where he majored in political science and minored in journalism. Follow him on Twitter at @JusticeTristan or contact him at Tristan@thefederalist.com. Sign up for Tristan&#8217;s email newsletter <a href=\"https:\/\/socialjusticeredux.substack.com\/about\">here<\/a>.<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-author mt-30 mt-sm-60 pt-30 bdr-top-bold-black\">\n<div class=\"row g-0 align-items-center\">\n<div class=\"col-12 col-md-6\">\n<div class=\"article-author-profile d-flex align-items-center justify-content-center justify-content-md-start\">\n<div class=\"article-author-details\">\n<div class=\"label-md\">Tristan Justice<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-author-twitter label-sm d-flex align-items-center mt-10\">             <i class=\"mdi mdi-twitter me-5\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i>             <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Visit on Twitter<\/span>            <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/JusticeTristan\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"text-decoration-none\" rel=\"noopener\">@JusticeTristan<\/a>           <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"col-12 col-md-6 d-flex justify-content-center justify-content-md-end mt-15 mt-md-0\">        <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/author\/tristanjustice\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">More Articles<\/a>     <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"article-tags bdr-top-black mt-30 mt-sm-60 pt-15 pt-md-45\">\n<ul class=\"list-unstyled d-flex flex-wrap align-items-center mb-0 mx-n10 p-0\">\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/david-pekoske\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">David Pekoske<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/department-of-homeland-security\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">Department of Homeland Security<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/dhs\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">DHS<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/empower-oversight\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">Empower Oversight<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/homeland-security\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">Homeland Security<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/quiet-skies\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">Quiet Skies<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/quiet-skies-program\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">Quiet Skies Program<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/rand-paul\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">Rand Paul<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/transportation-security-administration\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">Transportation Security Administration<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/tsa\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">TSA<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/tulsi-gabbard\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">Tulsi Gabbard<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/whistleblower\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">Whistleblower<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Kentucky Republican Senator Rand Paul questioned the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) on Wednesday regarding its use of watchlists to monitor political dissidents as if they were terrorists. In a letter addressed to TSA Administrator David Pekoske, Paul referenced recent whistleblower accounts revealing that the TSA had surveilled former Representative Tulsi Gabbard, a Democrat from Hawaii, and the spouse of a federal air marshal through its Quiet Skies program. <\/p>\n<p>Paul expressed concern that these incidents indicate a troubling trend where the TSA is using Quiet Skies to track individuals based on their political activities without any evidence of wrongdoing. The whistleblower protection organization Empower Oversight recently sent letters to the Department of Homeland Security&#8217;s inspector general outlining allegations of misconduct. One whistleblower disclosed that his wife was wrongly classified as a &#8220;domestic terrorist&#8221; and subjected to increased surveillance by the U.S. Federal Air Marshals Service (FAMS) simply for attending President Donald Trump&#8217;s speech on January 6, 2021.<\/p>\n<p>The letter noted that despite not being near the Capitol during those events, her FAMS file inaccurately claimed she unlawfully entered the Capitol building that day. The whistleblower managed to collaborate with the FBI in spring 2023 to remove his wife&#8217;s name from the terror watchlist; however, this did not address broader issues related to FAMS surveillance or prevent future abuses\u2014evidenced by recent revelations concerning Gabbard.<\/p>\n<p>Paul highlighted these allegations as echoing concerns raised in an earlier report by DHS&#8217;s Office of Inspector General (OIG), which pointed out significant shortcomings in how TSA manages its Quiet Skies program, including inadequate oversight and protections against misuse of passenger data.<\/p>\n<p>Empower Oversight reported that federal air marshals monitored Gabbard on at least eight flights after she publicly criticized President Biden on Fox News. Tristan Leavitt, president of Empower Oversight, accused TSA officials of launching an investigation against an anonymous whistleblower who came forward with information about these practices and stated that such retaliatory actions are inappropriate for an agency tasked with oversight.<\/p>\n<p>Leavitt emphasized instead that agency leadership should focus on investigating reported abuses rather than targeting those who expose them<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":494,"featured_media":2329116,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/34808013892_1564ced4d7_k-e1724289601440.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[546],"tags":[12872,38952,38954,38953,9673],"class_list":["post-2329115","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-federalist","tag-weaponization","tag-rand-paul","tag-security-policy","tag-terror-watchlists","tag-tsa"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/34808013892_1564ced4d7_k-e1724289601440.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2329115","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/494"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2329115"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2329115\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2329116"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2329115"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2329115"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2329115"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}