2 weeks Ago By Vaishnavi Vaidyanathan
President-elect Trump has nominated former House Democrat Tulsi Gabbard to serve as director of national intelligence in his new Cabinet. In a statement, Trump said he knows "Tulsi will bring the fearless spirit that has defined her illustrious career to our Intelligence Community, championing our Constitutional Rights, and securing Peace through Strength. Tulsi will make us all proud.
" In August this year, the 43-year-old claimed that the U.S. government placed her on a "secret terror watchlist" on July 23.
In an interview with Fox News, Gabbard said Transportation Security Administration (TSA) added her to the Quiet Skies Program watchlist "without explanation." “I was subjected by very in-depth screening when I travel. By in-depth I mean 30 to 45 minutes of going through that screening every time I would go to the airport to fly,” Gabbard said in the interview.
"The deepest pain and harm and stress that has been caused by all of this is that forever going forward I will always be looking over my shoulder wondering if and how my government is surveilling me." Following this, several Hawaii lawmakers slammed the TSA and sought answers on why she was placed on the list. "The people of Hawaii love Tulsi and your actions have offended us for your attempt to ruin her reputation without explanation.
Again, as leaders in the State of Hawaii, we remind you that this is not China or Russia and our government is not to overstep the boundaries that have been set by our US Constitution nor should ever attempt to weaponize its regulatory powers. You have embarrassed the State of Hawaii in our eyes, and we plead with you to clarify this without hesitation," Representatives Gene Ward, Diamond Garcia, Davis Alcos, and Elijah Pierick said in a joint statement. On September 4, Gabbard posted a video on social media, explaining how she found out that she was placed on the list.
"Just before boarding a flight on July 23 [2024], my husband and I were pulled aside for additional TSA screening. Our electronics were swabbed for traces of explosives, and when we landed my husband was pulled aside for another round of additional screening," she claimed. "On the next several flights that we took, our boarding passes were marked with the "quad S" and we were subjected to in-depth searches by the TSA every single time, each time taking 30 to 45 minutes, every inch of our body patted down, every item in our carry-on searched and swabbed for explosive residue, and sometimes going through this all over again at the gate before being allowed to board the plane.
" "Every time this happened, we were told by the TSA agent there: "This is just a random selection." Now that might have been believable if it had happened just once or twice, but five, six, seven, eight times in a row? There's no way," she added. She claimed that on August 4, federal air marshal whistleblowers informed her that she had been added to a "secret terror watchlist run by the TSA called Quiet Skies on July 23.
" "I later learned that at least three air marshals were assigned to watch me every time I traveled in the airport and on the flight. TSA deployed explosive canine detection teams and a TSA explosive specialist. Now this is extreme by any measure.
What were they looking for? What kind of threat did they think I posed, or are they afraid that I was going to do? None of this made sense until I put all the pieces together," she claimed. In a statement to Island News, A TSA spokesperson said, "TSA uses multi-layered security processes to protect the nation's transportation systems to ensure freedom of movement for people and commerce. TSA’s Quiet Skies program uses a risk-based approach to identify passengers and apply enhanced security measures on some domestic and outbound international flights.
To safeguard sensitive national security measures, TSA does not confirm or deny whether any individual has matched to a risk-based rule. These rules are applied to a limited number of travelers for a limited period of time. Simply matching to a risk-based rule does not constitute derogatory information about an individual.
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