Homeland Dems to DHS: Do Not Appoint Sheriff Clarke
(WASHINGTON) – Today, the Democratic members of the House Committee on Homeland Security, led by Ranking Member Bennie G. Thompson (D-MS), sent a letter to Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly strongly urging him to not consider Sheriff David Clarke for a position at the Department of Homeland Security.
Sheriff Clarke’s troubling record as Milwaukee County Sheriff is well documented. His oversight of the Milwaukee County Jail has been scrutinized after multiple inmate deaths, including an infant who passed away after being born inside a cell and a man who died of dehydration after going seven days without water. He derided the Black Lives Matter movement, even alleging it would join forces with ISIS. He stated that rather than work with Democrats, he would only reach across the aisle to “grab one of them by the throat.” Most recently, it has been reported that he plagiarized his 2013 Master’s thesis on U.S. security.
Any one of these actions would make Sheriff Clarke unsuitable for the position of Assistant Secretary of an office charged with being a conduit for the Secretary to engage with a diverse group of stakeholders from around the Nation. Taken together, they warrant not only his immediate disqualification from consideration, but an unequivocal response from the Department stating that neither Sheriff Clarke nor anyone with a similar record would be considered for a Secretarial appointment within DHS. We urge you to take such action for the good of your Department and in the interest of the homeland security of the United States.
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