Washington, D.C. – Empower Oversight President Tristan Leavitt called on the U.S. Department of Homeland Security Inspector General (DHS IG), Joseph Cuffari, to complete its investigation into abuse and political weaponization of the Transportation Security Administration’s (TSA) now-terminated “Quiet Skies” surveillance program.
In a letter to Cuffari, Leavitt urged the DHS IG to issue a report detailing serious abuses and recommending appropriate disciplinary action for agency officials involved.
“Even though Secretary Kristi Noem has rightly terminated the program, the public deserves full transparency and accountability for how it was misused,” Leavitt wrote.
Quiet Skies, a TSA initiative costing taxpayers approximately $200 million annually, enabled enhanced surveillance of select travelers by the Federal Air Marshals Service (FAMS). Empower Oversight represents numerous whistleblowers who made protected disclosures regarding troubling evidence that the program was leveraged for political purposes—including surveillance of individuals for constitutionally protected activities and personal connections to administration critics.
Noted in the letter:
- A FAMS whistleblower’s wife was falsely labeled a domestic terrorist and surveilled simply for being present at the January 6, 2021, Ellipse rally. Despite efforts to correct the record, TSA ignored the disclosures. She was eventually removed from surveillance, but no one has been held accountable.
- Former U.S. Representative and current Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard was reportedly added to the Quiet Skies watchlist the day after criticizing the Biden administration and then-Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris on Fox News. She was surveilled on at least eight separate flights.
- After Senator Jeanne Shaheen’s husband was flagged by the system for traveling with a suspected terrorist, he received a special exemption reportedly due to her personal lobbying—an act of preferential treatment that stands in stark contrast to the harassment experienced by others.
Multiple congressional leaders responded to the whistleblower disclosures, including:
- Senator Chuck Grassley, who denounced the use of surveillance for political purposes.
- Senator Rand Paul, who raised concerns about targeting individuals for political beliefs.
- Rep. Jim Jordan, who cautioned against federal surveillance powers being weaponized.
- Rep. James Comer, who warned against retaliation against whistleblowers.
- Rep. Mark Green, who joined renewed demands for documents and transparency.
Leavitt emphasized that while the program has been shut down, the potential for similar initiatives to arise in the future makes a full investigation critical. “You have an important responsibility to document the failings of programs like Quiet Skies within DHS,” Leavitt wrote. “Transparency is essential to accountability.”
To read the complete letter, click here.