As clashes between protesters and federal agents in Portland continue, the Trump Administration is reportedly planning to send up to 100 more reinforcements to the city.
This follows a weekend that also saw destructive protests in Oakland and Seattle.
Watching what’s been going on in Portland, frankly, I’m horrified at how DHS has been used there. To really go after for the most part peaceful protesters, that’s not what DHS was designed for. Frankly, the way I’ve seen it, it’s only stoked more protest activity in a way stoking the fire, at the same time saying 'I possess the fire extinguisher.'
How would DHS typically work with local governments to get involved in things like this?
Typically, what happens is that if DHS forces are required, it’s at the request of the mayor or the governor. It has a very defined mission. It’s carefully constrained. Again, it’s not over the objections of local authorities, it’s with their actual request.
The current DHS Secretary, Chad Wolf, is still in an acting role. Do you think that’s having an impact on how this is proceeding?
I think the entire leadership team of DHS is acting, and moreover even those that are acting, don’t really have the qualifications to do the job that they are required to do. I think Acting Secretary Wolf’s prior experience was as a lobbyist. He’s never been in charge of a major federal agency. He’s never run major operations like DHS. I do think that having all "actings" in the department makes it much more susceptible to presidential pressure than if you had honest-to-God qualified Senate-confirmed nominees.
Much has been made about the politics surrounding DHS and the process of selecting people, as you’ve referenced. Is there something that needs to be fixed by the White House?
I think the next administration needs to identify qualified people. They can come from different backgrounds. The first secretary of Homeland Security, Tom Ridge, was a former governor. I was a former governor. The second secretary, Michael Chertoff, was a former U.S. attorney. He was head of the criminal division in the Department of Justice. Then, I also was a former U.S. attorney. Those are backgrounds that match up with what’s required of the position. Then, at the individual agency levels, ICE, FEMA, you need to go around the country and find experienced people with real law enforcement credentials that can administer what are some of the largest law enforcement departments of the federal government.
