On Wednesday, U.S. Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) requested information from the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) asking for information on whether or not security systems have been improperly surveilling American citizens.
Paul, the ranking member of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, sent a letter to TSA Administrator David Pekoske asking for information related to the management of watchlists and screening procedures by TSA. Paul said the request follows disclosures by whistleblowers that the TSA’s Quiet Skies program may be targeting individuals based on their political views, instead of for “legitimate security threats.”
“Among the troubling allegations is the claim that former U.S. Rep. Tulsi Gabbard was subjected to heightened surveillance after she was added to the Quiet Skies list following her public criticism of the current administration,” Paul wrote. “In an equally concerning case, a Federal Air Marshal disclosed that his wife was labeled a ‘domestic terrorist’ and subjected to Special Mission Coverage (SMC) after attending a political rally in Washington, D.C. The whistleblower disclosed that TSA inaccurately recorded his wife—who has a documented mobility disability—as having unlawfully entered the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021. Despite her physical limitations making it impossible for her to engage in the alleged activities, and with no criminal charges against her, TSA has kept her on a watchlist for more than three years.”
Paul also alleged that the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Office of Inspector General had identified deficiencies in TSA’s management of the Quiet Skies program.
The senator’s letter is supported by The Air Marshal National Council (AMNC) and Empower Oversight.
“The Quiet Skies surveillance program must end,” said Sonya LaBosco, executive director of the AMNC. “Quiet Skies is ineffective, wasteful and does nothing to make us safer. We sincerely appreciate Senator Paul’s tireless efforts and firmly believe that TSA must be held accountable for creating one of the largest domestic surveillance programs in American history.”
Paul has requested the TSA provide unredacted copies of all documents, guidelines, data and internal communications related to the management of the Quiet Skies program watchlists and screening procedures.