Chad Wolf should not be secretary of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). Chad Wolf should not be the secretary of anything in the federal government, period. But during his brief, two-hour Senate confirmation hearing on Wednesday, the unlawfully appointed acting secretary yet again lied under oath in his attempt to maintain power—and about one of the most inhumane and cruel acts of this administration.
Questioned by U.S. Sen. Jacky Rosen of Nevada on the beginnings of the policy that would eventually lead to the state-sanctioned kidnapping of thousands of children, Unlawful Chad quickly became defensive, claiming to her that “it was not my memo” and pointing to his former boss, then-Sec. Kirstjen Nielsen. “That was not my portfolio, it was not my issue set at that time,” he continued. But internal documents have already easily debunked Unlawful Chad’s claim: He was an architect of family separation.
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Like some horror version of the movie “Groundhog Day,” this isn’t even the first time Unlawful Chad has lied under oath to Rosen about the family separation disaster. During a Senate hearing last year, Unlawful Wolf replied “no ma'am” when Rosen asked if Wolf helped develop the policy. He claimed that he learned about it “through discussions with staff, leading up to the attorney general's announcement, I believe in April of 2018.” But internal documents released by government watchdog group Restore Public Trust revealed Unlawful Chad helped develop the policy in late 2017.
That Unlawful Chad is refusing to vacate his office after a government watchdog found he’s unlawfully serving should be disqualifying. That Unlawful Chad ordered intelligence findings altered to politically benefit the impeached president should be disqualifying. That he laughed in the face of oversight and ignored a House subpoena should be disqualifying. That Unlawful Chad’s wife’s consulting firm won millions in DHS contracts after he joined the department should be disqualifying, yet his nomination to officially lead the department appears to be, at least for now, rolling full steam head.
”Despite concerns panel Democrats raised about Wolf's record, the swift, largely frictionless round of questioning suggests the nominee may face a quick confirmation by the full Senate in coming weeks,” Roll Call’s Tanvi Misra said. “A committee meeting has been scheduled for Sept. 30 to vote on the nomination.”
That’s not to say that there isn’t opposition to Unlawful Chad’s nomination. Following the Trump administration announcing he was being officially nominated for the job (done only as ploy to save the anti-immigrant, anti-asylum policies he’s authored), U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts tweeted that the unlawfully appointed acting secretary “has turned @DHSgov into President Trump’s personal militia to terrorize American citizens and immigrants, without regard for the Constitution. Wolf failed this illegal trial period. He should resign, and no senator should vote to confirm his undeserved nomination.”
Democrats and advocates continued that call in the days leading to Unlawful Chad’s hearing. The Congressional Hispanic Caucus (CHC) said in a letter on Monday that his “record shows a consistent failure to effectively manage the agency, a pattern of issuing inaccurate or misleading statements, and enacting some of the most disturbing immigration policies in our country’s history. The CHC urges the Senate to oppose Chad F. Wolf’s nomination for DHS Secretary.”
Amnesty International USA also issued a “rare” call on legislators to halt Unlawful Chad’s nomination, saying the organization “takes no position on the appointment of particular individuals to government positions, unless they are reasonably suspected of crimes under international law and could use their appointment to the position in question to either prevent accountability for these crimes or to continue their perpetration.”
From helping illegally block asylum-seekers at the border to using his office to help the impeached president’s reelection changes, he fits the bill of one of those “particular individuals,” one would think. “The organization calls on Senators to thoroughly and fully investigate Chad Wolf given the gravity and range of rights abuses that have taken place during his leadership at the Department of Homeland Security,” Amnesty International USA continued.
Once again, Chad Wolf should not be secretary of the Department of Homeland Security. Chad Wolf should not be the secretary of anything in the federal government, period.