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September 22, 2020

Chairman Thompson Urges Senate Committee to Oppose Chad Wolf Nomination Ahead of Tomorrow’s Hearing

(WASHINGTON) – Today, Rep. Bennie G. Thompson (D-MS), Chairman of the Committee on Homeland Security, sent a letter to the Senate Homeland Security & Governmental Affairs Committee Chairman and Ranking Member regarding tomorrow’s hearing to consider the nomination of the Honorable Chad Wolf to be Secretary of Homeland Security.  In the letter, Chairman Thompson outlines instances Mr. Wolf repeated failed to comply with Constitutionally mandated oversight, which include unanswered requests and unfulfilled subpoenas, during his tenure as “Acting Secretary of Homeland Security.” Chairman Thompson urges the Committee Members “in the strongest possible terms to oppose his nomination.”

“Unfortunately, under his tenure, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has been anything but cooperative, open, transparent, or responsive.  Instead, the Department has repeatedly ignored the Committee’s document requests, failed to comply fully with a Committee subpoena for documents, and failed to make Departmental officials available for transcribed interviews with the Committee.  Further, just a week ago, Mr. Wolf himself failed to comply with a subpoena issued for his testimony to discuss worldwide threats facing the homeland. 

“In the absence of the information requested by the Committee, the Committee and indeed the Congress have little insight into the many troubling and apparently improper actions taken by the Department, both during Mr. Wolf’s tenure and during that of prior Trump Administration officials.  Mr. Wolf’s obvious and blatant disregard for Congressional oversight and his repeated failure to provide even the most basic information required by the Committee to understand the Department’s actions render him unfit for confirmation as Secretary of a Cabinet-level department.”

Link to Letter

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