The more we learn about the Biden administration, now that it thankfully is in the rearview mirror, the more it’s revealed just how devious Ole Joe and his team were, and how they made a daily practice of trampling on the rights of Americans. They engaged in rampant censorship, hassled conservatives at every turn, and went after parents who objected to what their kids were being taught or people who expressed their opposition to abortion.
On Tuesday, the Department of Homeland Security revealed yet another example of Biden Inc.’s totalitarian tendencies: they systematically targeted air travelers who were in any way linked to the events of January 6, and made the lives of anyone who didn’t buy the unscientific mask mandates a living hell.
It was “abuse,” DHS said in a social media post:
DHS uncovered that the Biden administration engaged in an unprecedented campaign of putting U.S. citizens on high-severity, no-fly lists for nonviolent political dissent.
Biden’s TSA abused their authority to punish Americans for reasons “clearly unrelated to transportation security,” including 280 individuals allegedly involved in the January 6 Capitol protests and 19 that merely resisted mask mandates.
@Sec_Noem is referring this case to @TheJusticeDept and Congress for further investigation. President Trump is making good on his promise to end the weaponization of government against Americans.
The era of punishing patriotism is over.
“The era of punishing patriotism is over.” Well said, DHS.
ABUSE: Tulsi Gabbard Is Reportedly Under TSA Surveillance. Why?
What It's Like to Be Flagged by the Feds: A Personal Story
DHS further reported that the administration interfered with passengers’ constitutional rights—even though they had not been charged with anything or broken the law.
An internal DHS investigation found that TSA leadership under then-Administrator David Pekoske systematically abused federal watchlists to harass ordinary Americans, denying boarding privileges and even placing some under surveillance.
The report details how, in 2021, long after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention relaxed indoor mask requirements, TSA officials continued punishing passengers who resisted airline mask rules.
These Americans were flagged, delayed, or outright banned from flights. In some cases, federal air marshals were assigned to track their movements.
Journalist Matt Taibbi testified before the Senate on Tuesday for a hearing called "Examining The Weaponization Of The Quiet Skies Program," the shadowy program that tracked people who could potentially be a threat. People often didn’t even know they were on the list. DHS Secretary Kristi Noem shut it down in June because it hadn’t led to a single arrest.
Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard (then a private citizen), meanwhile, had been put on the list for unknown reasons. She only found out because whistleblowers from the Federal Air Marshal Service clued her in.
Taibbi's Tuesday article is a must-read, and he didn’t hold back his disdain for the Biden administration’s abuse of power:
Before Quiet Skies was discontinued by this administration, it was a symbol of the steep decline of federal enforcement since 9/11. The government spent $200 million a year following up to 50 people a day for a program that in its history never once led to an arrest, or thwarted a single criminal act. Despite its demonstrated inutility and grave civil liberties concerns it was re-funded year after year because this is what our government does now: it gathers information on its own citizens as an end in itself.
MORE: Noem Nukes Flight Safety Program She Calls 'Political Rolodex of the Biden Administration'
Pekoske resigned on Day One of the second Trump administration, knowing that he would get canned anyway by a president who wasn’t going to put up with such shenanigans.
But even as they stomped all over some citizens, guess who they didn’t go after? You won’t be surprised:
While conservatives were singled out, DHS noted the Biden-era TSA never flagged violent left-wing agitators from the 2020 George Floyd riots — despite nationwide arson, attacks on police, and destruction of property, the DHS pointed out.
Some TSA officials raised objections to this double standard, warning of clear privacy violations. Their concerns were dismissed.
The department has forwarded its report to the DOJ and to Congress for further investigation. Meanwhile, the legacy of Joe Biden grows more tainted by the day, if that’s even possible. Every morning, I am reminded of how grateful we should all be for November 5, 2024.
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