TPMDC Janet Napolitano
Department of Homeland Security
Obama's Border Chief Resigns
Customs and Border Protection Commissioner Alan Bersin
The head of U.S. Customs and Border Protection announced his resignation on Thursday, less than two years after being appointed to the job by President Obama.
Commissioner Alan Bersin, who was one of 15 administration officials given recess appointments on March 27, 2010, said he sent his resignation to the president earlier in the day. It will be effective Dec. 30.
PERMALINK | COMMENTS | RECOMMEND RECOMMEND (0)Topics: Department of Homeland Security, Janet Napolitano
Eric Cantor
Napolitano Dismisses Cantor-Style 'Aid For Cuts' Plan
Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano
With Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-VA) insisting that funding the recovery from Hurricane Irene be offset with spending cuts, Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano said Tuesday that Congress should be focused on providing relief and not get caught up in political gridlock.
PERMALINK | COMMENTS | RECOMMEND RECOMMEND (0)Topics: Eric Cantor, Janet Napolitano
Iran
Ridge Warns of Iran's Growing Influence Amid Middle East Unrest
Fmr. Secretary of Homeland Security Tom Ridge (R)
Former Department of Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge on Tuesday warned of Iran's growing influence amid the Middle East's turbulent political climate, underscoring other Republicans' calls for the U.S. to take a harder line on Iran.
The spread of pro-democracy movements across the region -- from Tunisia to Egypt and Libya -- is a positive step, Ridge said, but it also creates an opening for even more Iranian influence.
PERMALINK | COMMENTS | RECOMMEND RECOMMEND (0)Topics: Department of Homeland Security, Egypt, Homeland Security, House Foreign Affairs Committee, Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, Iran, Janet Napolitano, Libya, Michael Chertoff, Tom Ridge
AZ-SEN
AZ Dem: Giffords Should Have 'Right Of First Refusal' On 2012 Senate Race
Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (D-AZ)
There could be a significant delay before any Democratic candidates declare for the Senate seat of Republican Whip Jon Kyl, who has announced his retirement. As TPMDC has learned, for some time one of the top possible Dem candidates for the seat has been Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords, who is in physical therapy after she was shot in the head during a constituent event last month.
A Democratic source in Arizona told us that possible candidates for the seat include Phoenix Mayor Phil Gordon, former Reps. Harry Mitchell and Ann Kirkpatrick (who were defeated in the 2010 Republican wave), and 2010 candidate for attorney general Felecia Rotellini. Interestingly, the source said there had not been indications that Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano, who was previously the state's two-term governor, might run.
However, the source said, Giffords had long been viewed as a top-tier candidate to either challenge Kyl or run for an open seat, before the events in January. "In our view, she ought to have the right of first refusal," the source said, "and hopefully others will allow her the space and time to recover and make that decision."
PERMALINK | COMMENTS | RECOMMEND RECOMMEND (0)Topics: 2012 elections, AZ-SEN, Ann Kirkpatrick, Gabrielle Giffords, Harry Mitchell, Janet Napolitano, Jon Kyl, Phil Gordon, Senate '12
Darrell Issa
Welch to Issa: Step Away -- Or At Least Step Back -- From FOIA Demands
Rep. Peter Welch (D-VT)
Rep. Peter Welch (D-VT) is pushing back against Rep. Darrell Issa's (R-CA) investigation into whether the Obama administration is politicizing Freedom of Information Act requests.
It's not that Welch opposes the general thrust of Issa's probe. He's just worried about what could turn out to be some pretty serious unintended consequences -- squelching interest in filing FOIA requests by revealing the identities of the private citizens making them.
PERMALINK | COMMENTS | RECOMMEND RECOMMEND (0)Topics: Congress, Darrell Issa, Department of Homeland Security, House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, Janet Napolitano, Peter Welch
Tea Party Nation
Tea Party Nation Names DHS, NAACP Among 2010's 'Liberal Hate Groups'
Judson Phillips, leader of Tea Party Nation.
Tea Party Nation founder Judson Phillips put out a list yesterday of the "top five liberal hate groups," because "while the Left loves to accuse the Tea Party and Conservatives to be members of hate groups [sic], the simple fact is, there are a lot of liberal hate groups." And who made the cut for the top five? The NAACP, the Department of Homeland Security, the ACLU, the SEIU, and of course, the Southern Poverty Law Center.
PERMALINK | COMMENTS | RECOMMEND RECOMMEND (0)Topics: ACLU, Department of Homeland Security, Janet Napolitano, NAACP, SEIU, Southern Poverty Law Center, Tea Party Nation
Supreme Court vacancy
Why Obama Doesn't Want To Part With Janet Napolitano
Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano
It's no secret that Janet Napolitano is one of President Obama's favorite Cabinet members. But as her name continues to linger at the bottom of his Supreme Court shortlist, the fact that she's among the busiest in the administration is a signal she's unlikely to be chosen for a new job on the high court any time soon.
As Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, Napolitano has her hands full handling some of the administration's biggest priorities and crises. From immigration to oil spills to airline security and domestic terror threats, Napolitano's department is tasked with major initiatives that have her traveling the country and appearing frequently on television. Plus, DHS oversees FEMA, so she isn't a stranger to handling weather threats and working on the administration's Katrina rebuilding effort.
She was in Obama's final four last spring and remains on the list this year as he nears a decision to replacing retiring Justice John Paul Stevens. Sources close to Obama have said she was chosen for her current spot -- after being considered for several others -- because of her long career in public service and her civil rights record. She's also a breast cancer survivor. These qualities all fit the bill for those empathetic characteristics Obama is seeking in a new justice, but selecting Napolitano is less certain because she's both needed and embroiled in many heated policy changes.
PERMALINK | COMMENTS | RECOMMEND RECOMMEND (1)Topics: Arizona, Cabinet politics, Department of Homeland Security, Homeland Security, Immigration, Janet Napolitano, Supreme Court, Supreme Court vacancy, Terrorism, White House
Roundup
TPMDC Sunday Roundup
Crist Won't Commit To Voting For Democratic Or Republican Senate Leadership
Appearing on Meet The Press, Gov. Charlie Crist (I-FL) refused to commit to caucusing with either the Democrats or the Republicans, if he is elected to the Senate. "I might not vote for either one," said Crist, who left the Republican Party this past Thursday. "You know, I'm going to vote for who I think would be best for the people of Florida. And if that happens to be a Democrat, so be it. If it happens to be a Republican, so be it. But I got to look out for the people of my state."
Rubio On Crist's Switch: 'I Don't Think It Means Anything For Republicans In Florida'
Appearing on State of the Union, Senate candidate Marco Rubio (R-FL) brushed off the party-switch of his former rival in the primary, the more moderate Gov. Charlie Crist, from Republican to independent. "I don't think it means anything for Republicans in Florida," Rubio said. "Our party has never been about an individual. It's been, hopefully, about a set of principles and ideals - the idea of the free market - free enterprise system has made Americans the most prosperous people in the world - that our constitutional republic has made us the freest people in the history of the world. I've always felt that, that belief system finds its natural home in the Republican Party."
Topics: 2010 elections, AZ-SEN, Arizona, BP, Charlie Crist, FL-SEN, Hillary Clinton, Immigration, J.D. Hayworth, Janet Napolitano, Luis Gutierrez, Roundup, Sunday Shows
Sunday Shows
The Sunday Show Line-Ups
Gov. Charlie Crist (I-FL)
Here are the line-ups for the Sunday talk shows this weekend:
• ABC, This Week: Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano, Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar.
• CBS, Face The Nation: Rep. Charlie Melancon (D-LA), Sen. Bill Nelson (D-FL), Rep. Luis Gutierrez (D-IL), former Rep. J.D. Hayworth (R-AZ).
• CNN, State Of The Union: Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano, Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar, Gov. Charlie Crist (I-FL), Senate candidate Marco Rubio (R-FL).
• Fox News Sunday: Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano, Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar, Senate candidate Marco Rubio (R-FL).
• NBC, Meet The Press: Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano, Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar, Gov. Charlie Crist (I-FL), Sen. Lamar Alexander (R-TN), Gov. Jennifer Granholm (D-MI), Rep. Mike Pence (R-IN), Gov. Bill Richardson (D-NM).
PERMALINK | COMMENTS | RECOMMEND RECOMMEND (0)Topics: 2010 elections, Bill Nelson, Bill Richardson, Charlie Crist, Charlie Melancon, FL-SEN, J.D. Hayworth, Janet Napolitano, Jennifer Granholm, Ken Salazar, Lamar Alexander, Luis Gutierrez, Marco Rubio, Mike Pence, Senate '10, Sunday Shows
Flight 253
Napolitano Sending DHS Officials Overseas To Coordinate With International Airports
Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano
Top Homeland Security officials next week will do international outreach at major international airports in Africa, Asia, Europe, the Middle East and South America as the U.S. government continues to probe how a Nigerian man with explosives in his underwear was able to board a trans-Atlantic flight.
Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano announced in a statement this afternoon that Deputy Secretary Jane Holl Lute, Assistant Secretary for Policy David Heyman and other senior DHS officials to the airports. They will review security procedures and technology being used to screen passengers on flights bound for the United States, she said.
"As part of the ongoing review to determine exactly what went wrong leading up to Friday's attempted terrorist attack, we are looking not only at our own processes, but also beyond our borders to ensure effective aviation security measures are in place for U.S-bound flights that originate at international airports," Napolitano said.
She said the officials will find ways to "collectively bolster our tactics for defeating terrorists wherever they may seek to launch an attack" and said she will follow-up with them in meetings in January.
President Obama received a preliminary review today that sources say will reveal communication and process breakdown within the intelligence community before the incident.
PERMALINK | COMMENTS | RECOMMEND RECOMMEND (0)Topics: Flight 253, Homeland Security, Janet Napolitano, TSA, Terrorism
Janet Napolitano
NRCC Uses Napolitano Blunder On Flight 253 To Hammer House Dems
Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano
The Republican Party is using Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano to attack House Democrats in the wake of her much-derided comment that "the system worked" in response to the near-bombing of Flight 253.
(Napolitano was speaking of the response to the attack after the fact, but her detractors are understandably more focused on the intelligence failures before the event.)
The NRCC has put out a new press release against swing-seat Democrats on the Homeland Security and Government Oversight committees, calling on them to demand that Napolitano testify to Congress: "Will (member name) finally demand answers from Secretary Napolitano, or will (he/she) continue to silently endorse her alarming statement that 'the system worked' in the face of building evidence that the administration is unable to confront serious threats against the American people?"
Interestingly, one of the Dems on the receiving end of this press release is Rep. Chris Carney (PA) -- who was being courted by the GOP last week to switch parties, and even got a phone call from Sen. John McCain. Carney then put out a statement turning down the offer, but also thanking the GOP and declaring "their outreach a sure sign that I have worked in a truly bipartisan manner." Now they're attacking him in a press release. It looks like that courtship was over as quickly as it began.
The full press release is available after the jump.
PERMALINK | COMMENTS | RECOMMEND RECOMMEND (2)Topics: Chris Carney, Flight 253, Janet Napolitano
Roundup
TPMDC Morning Roundup
Napolitano: Airline Security System Didn't Work, 'No One Is Happy or Satisfied With That'
Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano conceded today that the airport security systems did not work in the lead-up to the Northwest Airlines attack, after she'd previously focused on how the system did work during and after the attack itself. "Our system did not work in this instance," said Napolitano, on NBC's Today show. "No one is happy or satisfied with that. An extensive review is under way."
Obama To Speak On Airline Attack
President Obama will take a moment out of his vacation today to make a statement on the Northwest Airlines attack. The statement will happen in Hawaii, where Obama is staying with his family. The exact time has not yet been announced.
Topics: Barack Obama, George W. Bush, Iran, Janet Napolitano, Lindsey Graham, Roundup
Roundup
TPMDC Sunday Roundup
Gibbs: Obama Ordering Security Reviews After Airline Attack
Appearing on Face The Nation, White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs said that President Obama has ordered a thorough security review in the wake of the attack on a Northwest Airlines flight. "The president has asked for two reviews to take place as a result of this potential terrorist attack," Gibbs said. "The first is a watch listing review .. so we want to ensure that all of the information that needs to go to decision makers gets to where it needs to go. The president has asked for a review of the procedures that in some cases are several years old." The Second review will be of detection capabilities at airports, "to ensure that someone who that might be carrying explosives like this individual was can't get through a screening stage like they did in Amsterdam."
Napolitano: No Evidence That Airline Attack Was Part Of Larger International Effort
Appearing on State of the Union, Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano said that there is so far no evidence that the Northwest Airlines attack was part of a broad international effort. "Right now we have no indication that it is part of anything larger," said Napolitano. She also sought to reassure the public that the flight and overall security apparatus functioned smoothly: "While we continue to investigate the source of this incident, the traveling public should be very confident of what we're doing now."
Topics: Arlen Specter, Chris Van Hollen, Health Care, Janet Napolitano, Mitch McConnell, Newt Gingrich, Parker Griffith, Peter King, Robert Gibbs, Roundup, Sunday Shows
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