Filed under: Bureaucracy, Crime, Democrat Corruption, Domestic Policy, Immigration, Politics, Progressives, Terrorism, The United States | Tags: Dept. of Homeland Security, Political Correctness, Terrorist Watch List
Judicial Watch announced today that it had obtained 183 pages of documents from the Department of Homeland Security. The documents reveal that the Obama administration had “scrubbed” the law enforcement agency’s “Terrorist Screening Database” in an effort to be politically correct in order to protect the civil rights of suspected Islamic terrorist groups. There have been charges that the Obama administration created an extensive “hands off” list, and data which was removed could have helped to prevent the San Bernardino terrorist attack.
Judicial Watch had filed a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA)lawsuit filed on February 13, 2015, so it only took a year to pry documents loose. The suit asked for:
1. A copy of the Office of Inspector General for Homeland Security’s report regarding, concerning or related to a “hands off list” purportedly maintained by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement) ICE US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) used to allow certain individuals to enter the United States, who had previously been denied entry or been made to undergo secondary screening by CBP based on terrorism connections.
2. Any and all records of communication to or from (DHS) Inspector General Charles Edwards from May 31, 2014 regarding the aforementioned OIG report.
“On May 6, 2014, Senator Charles Grassley (R-IA) released internal Department of Homeland Security emails revealing an alleged terrorist “hands off” list allowing individuals with potential terrorist ties into the United States. Allegations by former Customs and Border Patrol Officer Philip Haney spurred Senator Grassley’s and other congressional investigations.”
The documents confirm that nearly 1,000 terrorist suspect reports were modified. The DHS Privacy Office and DHS Security Office of Civil Rights and Civil Liberties “determined that individuals could only be ‘watchlisted’ based on an association with a known or suspected terrorist already ‘watchlisted’…not based on their affiliation with [REDACTED] (or any other [REDACTED] organization.
Senator Grassley previously released emails including a 2012 email chain between Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Customs and Border Protection asking whether to admit an unnamed individual with ties to various terrorist groups. The person was believed to be a member of the Muslim Brotherhood and a close associate and supporter of Hamas, Hezbollah, and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad, according to the email exchange obtained by Grassley’s office.
So, allegations by a former Customs and Border Patrol Officer who risked his career to spur congressional investigations, led to the Judicial Watch lawsuit, and now a major national security scandal.
Judicial Watch’s entire announcement is here. Political Correctness is doing a lot of damage to our country, and as far as I can see, there are no commensurate benefits anywhere.
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American Elephants 
I bet this does not include Tea Party members, patriots and SHTF hoarders, and other conservatives.
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Comment by alkidya March 3, 2016 @ 10:01 am