The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) revealed in a joint statement that the Biden administration exploited the TSA to target “innocent American citizens.” An internal investigation uncovered “widespread abuses” by Biden-era officials, who allegedly watchlisted and denied boarding to individuals who opposed mask mandates on airplanes, even after the CDC lifted its indoor mask rules.
The DHS report alleged that former TSA Administrator David Pekoske directed officials to use the January 6, 2021, protests as a pretext to harass dozens of U.S. citizens without evidence of wrongdoing. It claimed the Biden TSA placed 280 individuals linked to the Capitol events and 19 others who resisted mask mandates on high-severity no-fly lists, citing “nonviolent political dissent” as justification.
The investigation also highlighted that the TSA’s actions persisted through June 2021, despite no immediate threat to aviation security. During this period, the Biden Department of Justice detained hundreds of January 6 protestors. Critics noted the TSA ignored warnings from intelligence officials and its own Chief Privacy Officer about these practices.
The report alleged political bias in the TSA’s enforcement, pointing out that officials failed to flag individuals involved in violent George Floyd protests, including those who attacked law enforcement and destroyed property. Meanwhile, the TSA faced scrutiny over its Quiet Skies program, which reportedly surveilled now-Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard and granted privileges to Bill Shaheen, husband of Democratic Senator Jeanne Shaheen, despite his association with a “known or suspected terrorist.”
Journalist Matt Taibbi alleged the program also targeted three Republican members of Congress. Documents obtained by the Senate’s Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee revealed that three GOP lawmakers were monitored under the disbanded Quiet Skies initiative, with records showing they were identified as congressmembers or veterans before being added to lists.
