The Hijacking of Homeland Security

[Zorro]

A former leader of the department says Trump is politicizing the agency and putting the nation at risk.

By Michael Chertoff
Mr. Chertoff served as the secretary of homeland security under President George W. Bush.

The Trump administration’s deliberate decision to intervene in the Portland protests with a heavy hand, unconventional means and inflammatory political rhetoric has contributed to growing public distrust — particularly of the Department of Homeland Security.

Critics of the department are now rightly worried that its law enforcement agents might be increasingly deployed by President Trump to score political points, or even interfere with the November election.

These actions, now or into the future, endanger our democracy, and undermine the nation’s safety — by hurting the department’s ability to carry out its core mission of protecting Americans from genuine threats to our security.

Homeland Security was created after the Sept. 11 terror attacks with the goal of unifying the government’s efforts to combat emerging security threats. Over the years, these threats have grown to include not only international and domestic terrorism, but also natural disasters, pandemics and cyberattacks.

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/07/28/opinion/homeland-security-portland-trump.html