The Department of Homeland Security on Tuesday said Biden administration officials weaponized the Transportation Security Administration to secretly target Americans who refused mask mandates on airplanes and citizens linked to the Jan. 6 protests, despite no evidence of criminal activity or security threats.
An internal DHS investigation found that TSA leadership under then-Administrator David Pekoske systematically abused federal watchlists to harass ordinary Americans, denying boarding privileges and even placing some under surveillance.
The report details how, in 2021, long after the CDC relaxed indoor mask requirements, TSA officials continued punishing passengers who resisted airline mask rules.
These Americans were flagged, delayed, or outright banned from flights. In some cases, Federal Air Marshals were assigned to track their movements.
“These individuals posed no legitimate threat to aviation security,” DHS said in a lengthy press release, underscoring that watchlisting powers were intended for terrorists and dangerous criminals — not citizens challenging government policies.
The abuses extended to dozens of Americans tied to the Jan. 6 protests.
DHS said many were placed on watchlists and denied air travel, even without evidence they engaged in violence or broke the law.
The campaign continued well into June 2021, six months after the Capitol unrest, coinciding with the Biden Justice Department’s sweeping prosecutions of Jan. 6 participants.
The DHS report said Biden officials ignored warnings from career intelligence officers and even TSA’s Chief Privacy Officer that the actions represented unlawful political targeting.
Newsmax has reached out to Pekoske for comment.
Pekoske resigned from his role on Jan. 20, 2025 — the day President Donald Trump was sworn in — saying he was forced out by Trump even though his term was not up until 2027, according to a memo he wrote to his staff obtained by Politico.
While conservatives were singled out, DHS noted the Biden-era TSA never flagged violent left-wing agitators from the 2020 George Floyd riots — despite nationwide arson, attacks on police, and destruction of property, the DHS pointed out.
Some TSA officials raised objections to this double standard, warning of clear privacy violations. Their concerns were dismissed.
The findings come on the heels of earlier disclosures that TSA spied on Tulsi Gabbard through its “Quiet Skies” program.
At the same time, the agency extended special privileges to Bill Shaheen, the politically connected husband of Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, even though he traveled repeatedly with a known or suspected terrorist.
Under DHS Secretary Kristi Noem’s direction, DHS has already moved to restore accountability, according to the department, citing the removal of five senior TSA leaders from their posts, including the Executive Assistant Administrator for Operations Support and the Deputy Assistant Administrator for Intelligence and Analysis.
The matter has been referred to the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division and to Congress for further investigation.
DHS is also updating internal TSA policies to block political targeting, reorganizing the Intelligence and Analysis office to enforce oversight and working with lawmakers to strengthen legal safeguards against abuse.
DHS officials concluded that the TSA’s misuse of power under Pekoske represents one of the most serious breaches of public trust in recent memory.
“The authority to safeguard air travel was turned into a tool to punish political opponents,” DHS said.
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