Report: DHS Sec. Accused of Leaking Trump's ICE Raid Now Tied to Obama, Hillary
Leaks and internal struggles have plagued the Trump administration since day one, and now it looks like yet another die-hard Democrat supporter may have been pulling strings in Washington to undermine the president.
On Saturday, the Washington Examiner reported that a key Immigration and Customs Enforcement operation intended to round up certain illegal aliens was called off after an insider allegedly passed confidential details of the operation to the media.
Two days before the operation was set to begin, outlets including The Washington Post announced it to the world, effectively eliminating any element of surprise.
“President Trump has directed U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents to conduct a mass roundup of migrant families that have received deportation orders, an operation that is likely to begin with predawn raids in major U.S. cities on Sunday,” The Post reported.
But that “roundup” never happened, and the reason may be a political coup. According to homeland security reporter and border expert Anna Giaritelli, fingers now point to a longtime Democrat ally as the “leaker” who tipped off the media and the law breakers.
“This week’s big leak about a major Immigration and Customs Enforcement operation was orchestrated by acting Homeland Security Secretary Kevin McAleenan in an effort to sabotage the raids before they were scheduled to take place, according to three current and two former senior administration officials,” Giaritelli wrote in the Examiner.
“[A]ll five officials who spoke with the Washington Examiner confirmed McAleenan’s decision to go rogue and stymie the operation was what prompted the White House to call off the 10-city operation,” the report continued.
It would make sense if McAleenan was the one who threw a wrench into the ICE mission. Government sources interviewed by Giaritelli allegedly said that the secretary had pushed back against the raids for months.
And McAleenan traveled to the border last week with Washington Post journalist Nick Miroff — the same source which published details of the planned raid.
If there was any question about McAleenan’s possible motivations, a follow-up story from the Examiner should clear it up.
Records show that the official suspected by insiders to be the leaker was a loyal backer of former President Barack Obama, while his wife was clearly a Hillary Clinton supporter.
Here are some of the FEC records that show donations acting DHS Secretary Kevin McAleenan & his wife made to Obama in 08, Obama in 12, Clinton in 16. McAleenan is accused of leaking ICE raids to sabotage them because he opposes Trump’s border strategy.https://t.co/G96IWZlaC7 pic.twitter.com/dt04sHmZZY
— Anna Giaritelli (@Anna_Giaritelli) June 25, 2019
“Acting Homeland Security Secretary Kevin McAleenan, who was accused of sabotaging the Trump administration’s deportation operation because of a personal opposition to the plan, has given for years solely to Democratic causes,” wrote Giaritelli in the Examiner, citing federal records.
“He made 11 contributions from $100 to $600 totaling $3,000 to then-Sen. Barack Obama between November 2007 and November 2008,” the newspaper continued. “[H]is wife made three donations totaling $505 to Hillary for America in July 2016.”
Now, donating to one candidate or another may not be a problem by itself, but it does raise red flags when combined with the growing number of Washington voices who believe McAleenan let his personal politics get in the way of his duty.
“He has proven his political leanings in his actions, including his campaign contributions,” Brandon Judd wrote in a scathing Fox News Op-Ed piece. Judd heads the National Border Patrol Council, essentially a union of 16,000 Border Patrol agents. “By definition, Kevin McAleenan should be considered anti-Trump,” he continued.
Judd believes that if McAleenan did leak ICE plans to the media, it was a serious dereliction of duty.
“McAleenan was inexcusably willing to put the public at risk and law enforcement officers in harm’s way in order to further his own agenda, an agenda which has not aligned with that of President Trump from the day he was appointed to his previous position as Commissioner of U.S. Customs and Border Protection,” the NBPC president wrote.
He’s right. Having personal views about a president is fine, but letting those views get in the way of an official’s job and the proper execution of America’s laws is unacceptable. It looks like the D.C. “swamp” still hasn’t been drained, and it’s time to start asking some hard questions.
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