The people who did the targeting should be punished and, more importantly, have their toys taken away: no more secret watchlists.
The Trump administration receives well-justified criticism for using government power to punish political foes such as former FBI director James Comey, funder of left-wing causes George Soros, and law firms linked to the Democratic Party. But don’t forget that former President Joe Biden’s administration also weaponized the state against its enemies. It just did so quietly, behind the scenes, and with the approval of much of the media. The Biden administration not only leaned on tech companies to muzzle critics of the powers-that-be, but it also turned due-process-free watchlists into means of harassing people it didn’t like.Weaponized Watchlists
On September 30, „the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced the results of an internal investigation uncovering widespread abuses committed by Biden administration officials, who weaponized the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) against innocent American citizens“, according to a TSA press release.
The Biden administration is accused of adding people who „resisted mask mandates on airplanes nearly six months after the CDC relaxed its indoor mask mandate“ to watchlists that subjected them to extra security. It also watchlisted not just participants in the January 6, 2021 riot, but also those merely suspected of traveling to the Washington, D.C. area in sympathy with the protesters. „This targeted campaign of harassment continued through June 2021, six months after the events in question, despite no clear or immediate threat to aviation security.“ (Emphasis in original.)
With regard to the specifics of those watchlist inclusions, Sen. Rand Paul (R–Ky.) released documents acquired by the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee. The committee held a September 30 hearing on the „weaponization of the Quiet Skies program“, a TSA watchlist scheme terminated after it was found to have been abused for political purposes.
It’s been reported that former Rep. Tulsi Gabbard (D–Hawaii), now the Director of National Intelligence, was placed on the Quiet Skies watchlist. The Biden administration claimed her inclusion was, in part, because she attended a Vatican event organized by a suspicious European. But she and many others believe it was retaliation for her criticism of then-Vice President Kamala Harris.
