Homeland Security double-header
First game: Homeland Security politicizes freedom of information requests.
Two investigations found that Freedom of Information Act requests sent to the DHS were reviewed by Obama administration political appointees.
“Through the course of an eight-month investigation, the committee has learned that political staff under the DHS Secretary Janet Napolitano have corrupted the agency’s FOIA compliance procedures, exerted unlawful political pressure, on FOIA compliance officers, and undermined the federal government’s accountability to the American people,” Issa said.
“These events have nurtured a fragile - and at times hostile - work environment that does not serve to fulfill the department’s primary mission to secure the nation from the many threats we face,” he added.
Second game: Border Patrol told to artificially reduce number of arrests at border.
“Since we don't know how many illegal crossings are occurring, then a decrease in apprehensions might mean that there are fewer illegal crossings, and the border is more secure. But it could also just as easily mean that more illegal border crossings are occurring, and we're just not catching as many. In order to know how secure the border is, you need to know how many are crossing and the threat level of those who are crossing illegally," he said.
“It is a very dangerous condition for the secretary of Homeland Security to be using incomplete data to form such a conclusion, and then repeatedly announce these conclusions as fact,” he said.
Do you feel safer yet?
Two investigations found that Freedom of Information Act requests sent to the DHS were reviewed by Obama administration political appointees.
“Through the course of an eight-month investigation, the committee has learned that political staff under the DHS Secretary Janet Napolitano have corrupted the agency’s FOIA compliance procedures, exerted unlawful political pressure, on FOIA compliance officers, and undermined the federal government’s accountability to the American people,” Issa said.
“These events have nurtured a fragile - and at times hostile - work environment that does not serve to fulfill the department’s primary mission to secure the nation from the many threats we face,” he added.
Second game: Border Patrol told to artificially reduce number of arrests at border.
“Since we don't know how many illegal crossings are occurring, then a decrease in apprehensions might mean that there are fewer illegal crossings, and the border is more secure. But it could also just as easily mean that more illegal border crossings are occurring, and we're just not catching as many. In order to know how secure the border is, you need to know how many are crossing and the threat level of those who are crossing illegally," he said.
“It is a very dangerous condition for the secretary of Homeland Security to be using incomplete data to form such a conclusion, and then repeatedly announce these conclusions as fact,” he said.
Do you feel safer yet?