A senior U.S. Air Marshal’s wife was wrongly labeled a domestic terrorist and subjected to invasive surveillance after attending a Trump rally on the Ellipse in Washington D.C. on January 6, 2021, despite no evidence linking her to unlawful activity that day, according to a Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee report on the Biden administration’s misuse of the Quiet Skies program.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) placed the woman in its Terrorist Screening Database, and for two years, she was monitored on domestic flights by federal air marshals, who tracked her movements and interactions “on a minute-by-minute basis.” Her name was cleared only after the FBI closed its case due to mistaken identity, as revealed in a press release from Senate Homeland Security Chairman Rand Paul (R-Ky.).
The TSA’s Quiet Skies initiative, launched in 2010 to monitor travelers with suspicious behaviors or travel patterns, reportedly failed to prevent any acts of terrorism. The program was terminated on June 5 by Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem amid allegations of political abuse.
Tulsi Gabbard, a combat veteran and former congresswoman now serving as Director of National Intelligence, was surveilled on at least five flights in 2024, according to the report. The surveillance reportedly began just one day after she publicly criticized Joe Biden and Kamala Harris. Paul’s investigation into Quiet Skies faced delays under the Biden administration but gained momentum after the Trump administration took office, leading to the release of previously withheld documents.
The report also revealed that three Republican lawmakers, at least two dozen Americans protesting mask mandates, and hundreds of individuals who traveled to Washington D.C. ahead of the January 6 protest were placed on TSA watch lists. Paul condemned the program as “an unconstitutional dystopian nightmare” costing $200 million annually without preventing a single terrorist attack.
During a Senate hearing titled “Examining the Weaponization of the Quiet Skies Program,” whistleblower Mark Crowder, a senior federal air marshal, testified about his wife’s wrongful designation as a domestic terrorist. Christine Crowder, who has a physical disability limiting her mobility, was falsely accused of entering the Capitol on January 6. Federal marshals surveilled her for over two years, subjected her to invasive screenings, and forced her to endure lengthy airport procedures. Crowder criticized the TSA for diverting resources from genuine threats to target law-abiding citizens.
The hearing included testimony from multiple witnesses, who highlighted the program’s misuse of First Amendment activities to justify surveillance without evidence. Crowder emphasized that the agency had “betrayed the solemn promises made after 9/11: Never Again.”
