Category Archives: congress

Senators of both parties were tight-lipped Tuesday about their plans for Homeland Security Secretary nominee Kirstjen Nielsen’s confirmation hearing — but there’s one topic many observers are hoping they’ll ask about: Her experience. The issue of leadership is key one for the department — a sprawling government behemoth which encompasses two of the largest federal law enforcement agencies and is responsible for a bewildering variety of missions. In particular, observers say, its cyber mission has been handicapped by the absence of an operational agency responsible for securing government computer networks and helping vital U.S. businesses harden their IT systems against online attacks. Nielsen’s defenders point to a career in emergency preparedness, first as a junior White House official and later as a consultant and think-tank fellow, culminating in her brief stint this year as chief of staff at DHS under then-Secretary John Kelly. But critics point out that, until this year, she’d never managed […]

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A former lobbyist representing companies with business before the Department of Homeland Security is leading the confirmation preparation for DHS secretary nominee Kirstjen Nielsen, assigning government staffers to prepare policy memos and coordinating her paperwork submissions to the Senate  — an unprecedented role that’s causing consternation among some administration officials. “I’ve never seen someone from outside the government play that role,” said one senior official, who was granted anonymity since they were not authorized to talk to the press. “It’s shocking that someone with business before the department would be in that role.” “That is highly unusual,” agreed Chris Lu, a former Senate-confirmed official at the Department of Labor who is now a senior fellow at Virginia University’s Miller Center for Public Affairs. “Has this been cleared by the DHS ethics counsel?” Lu asked. “What procedures were followed to ensure that he doesn’t get access to non-public information that might benefit his clients?” Thad Bingel, a consultant with the Command Group, […]

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