Terrorism

Congress Starts TSA Administrator Blame Game

Christina Bellantoni | December 29, 2009, 9:30AM

Rep. Bennie Thompson (D-MS)

Democrats are pointing fingers at Sen. Jim DeMint (R-SC) for blocking the confirmation of Erroll Southers as the administrator of the Transportation Security Administration, and the conservative senator is pointing right back.

DeMint's office said it's not an issue of blocking Southers but instead that the senator is seeking debate on the nomination.

DeMint isn't planning on revoking the hold.

A Senate aide told TPMDC that DeMint's objection was to the procedure Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid attempted to use to approve the nomination - unanimous consent.

DeMint thought there should be a debate and a roll call vote, the aide said.

"Leader Reid can schedule consideration of this nomination any time he wants," the aide said. "But he felt health care was more important. Our view is if the Democrats are upset they've only got themselves to blame because Obama took forever to nominate him."

Southers was nominated in early September and his confirmation hearings were wrapped up earlier this month.

House Homeland Security Committee Chairman Bennie Thompson (D-MS) said in a statement TSA needs a permanent administrator.

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Bennie Thompson

House Chairman Reads The Riot Act To Secret Service Director

Brian Beutler | November 30, 2009, 4:18PM

Rep. Bennie Thompson (D-MS)

For the most part, members of the media have focused on the spectacle of pranksters crashing a state dinner at the White House. But this week, we may finally get some clarity on the substantive issue underneath the gag: namely: how, exactly, Michaele and Tareq Salahi manage to slip by the Secret Service?

In a difficult to parse, but harshly worded statement, House Homeland Security Committee Chairman Bennie Thompson (D-MS) laid into the bureaucrats who may have been at fault, and suggested dire ramifications if it turns out they were asleep on the job.

"The intent of this Administration may be openness and transparency, but a security breakdown that allowed anyone who looked the part to walk off the street into a State Dinner is a slap in the face to the Secret Service employees who put their lives on the line to protect our form of government and its leaders," Thompson said.

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