Chad Wolf to Become Secretary of Homeland Security

Donald Trump announced Tuesday that he will nominate acting Secretary of Homeland Security Chad Wolf to assume the same role on a permanent basis. Wolf has served as the acting head of DHS since November of last year. The department has been without a Senate-confirmed secretary since Kirstjen Nielsen resigned in April of 2019.

Wolf’s planned elevation to the permanent top spot at DHS comes days after a Congressional watchdog found that he had been illegally installed atop the department in an acting role. The Government Accountability Office (GAO) found earlier this month that Wolf was invalidly appointed to the role of acting secretary, the result of an illegally altered line of succession. This also applied to the appointment of Ken Cuccinelli.

GAO concluded that after the resignation of Secretary Nielsen, an improper succession occurred, with Kevin McAleenan taking on the position. McAleenan then altered the order of succession for other officials to succeed him after his departure. “Because the incorrect official assumed the title of Acting Secretary at that time, subsequent amendments to the order of succession made by that official were invalid and officials who assumed their positions under such amendments, including Chad Wolf and Kenneth Cuccinelli, were named by reference to an invalid order of succession,” GAO’s General Counsel stated.

Wolf’s controversial appointment as Acting Secretary of DHS led to the deployment of federal officers to several cities, including Portland, Oregon, where he was famously welcomed with a barrage of criticism.

Trump’s official announcement is a direct result of the GAO’s findings.

After he had long ago exhausted his legal term as an 'Acting' administrator.

Now do Ken Cuccinelli.https://t.co/AWjhBkLghO

— Tom Shafer (@TomShafShafer) August 25, 2020