The Biden administration weaponized the federal government against its political enemies.
Donald Trump promised to end that abuse of power.
And Kristi Noem shut down one scary surveillance scheme that left the Deep State stunned.
Trump administration ends TSA surveillance program used to target political opponents
The Trump administration has officially ended the Transportation Security Administration’s controversial "Quiet Skies" domestic surveillance program, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem announced.
The Quiet Skies program was designed to flag travelers who could present security risks and allowed Federal Air Marshals to monitor those passengers.
But the program became a political weapon during the Biden years.
Noem revealed explosive findings about how the Biden administration corrupted the surveillance program.
"It is clear that this program was used as a political Rolodex by the Biden Administration—weaponized against its political foes and used to benefit their well-connected allies," Noem said in response to DHS findings.
The investigation exposed how Democrats created a two-tiered system of justice.
While Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard was placed on the terrorist watch list and surveilled by Federal Air Marshals, Democrat Senator Jeanne Shaheen of New Hampshire successfully lobbied to get her husband removed from the same program.
According to DHS records, William "Billy" Shaheen was flagged by Quiet Skies in October 2023 after he traveled with "a Known or Suspected Terrorist on three occasions."
But instead of facing surveillance like other Americans, Shaheen’s politically connected wife intervened and secured his exemption from the program through former TSA Administrator David Pekoske.
Tulsi Gabbard faced harassment while Democrat’s husband got special treatment
The contrast between how the Biden administration treated Gabbard versus the Shaheen family reveals the depth of political corruption in federal law enforcement.
Whistleblowers revealed in August that Gabbard was placed on a TSA suspected terrorist watch list and subjected to intensive surveillance by Federal Air Marshals.
The former Hawaii Representative and current DNI faced "random" airport searches lasting up to 45 minutes that occurred every time she boarded a flight.
Both Gabbard and her husband’s boarding passes were marked with "SSSS" (Secondary Security Screening Selection) – a designation typically reserved for individuals on threat lists.
"This is only the information that we know. Obviously, I experienced a significant change in my travel when all of this began on July 23," Gabbard told Sean Hannity on Fox News in August.
"My real question is, what don’t I know?" Gabbard continued. "This is the real pain and stress that’s been caused both to me and my family by this whole situation, day and night wondering if and what government institution and agency is monitoring my phone calls, surveilling me in my movement in my travels."
House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer sent a letter to TSA Administrator David Pekoske in August 2024 addressing the whistleblower allegations about Gabbard’s surveillance.
The TSA then launched a "leak" investigation into the Federal Air Marshal agents who exposed the targeting of Gabbard.
Program expanded to target January 6 participants
The Quiet Skies surveillance program expanded dramatically after January 6, 2021, to monitor individuals who were present at the Capitol.
A 2018 Boston Globe investigation found that dozens of flagged passengers were flying domestically each day, with Federal Air Marshals monitoring many of those individuals.
But the program grew into something far more sinister under the Biden administration.
"Under the flimsy guise of ‘domestic terrorism,’ Federal law enforcement and intelligence were repeatedly weaponized against me and other Americans who exercised our First Amendment rights," Gabbard wrote on social media.
Republican Senator Rand Paul expressed horror at the targeting of Gabbard during a May 20 Senate hearing with Secretary Noem.
"I’m horrified by the idea, that we took a former congresswoman and we’re surveilling her and riding on jets with her," Paul said.
"I want to hear that people have been let go, that they’re no longer doing this. If there were abuses of Tulsi Gabbard’s liberties, I want to hear from that. But, I want repercussions to come from this," Paul added during the hearing.
Trump restores equal justice under the law
Secretary Noem made clear that the Trump administration would end the politicization of federal law enforcement.
"This program should have been focused on the equal application of security measures. Instead, it was corrupted and turned into a tool for political targeting," Noem stated.
"The Trump Administration will restore integrity, protect privacy, and ensure the fair and equal application of the law for all Americans, including in aviation screening," she continued.
The Air Marshal National Council celebrated Trump’s decision to shut down the program on X, writing "PRESIDENT TRUMP SHUTS DOWN TSA QUIET SKIES!!"
Senator Paul revealed during the hearing that he had received DHS records confirming federal air marshals surveilled Gabbard on domestic flights in 2024.
"These documents confirm our suspicions. Federal air marshals surveilled the now-director of national intelligence during domestic flights in 2024, reporting back information related to her appearance and even how many electronics she was observed using," Paul said.
Trump’s decision to terminate Quiet Skies represents a major victory in his war against the weaponization of government.
The program exemplified everything wrong with the Deep State’s two-tiered system of justice where political enemies face harassment while well-connected Democrats receive special treatment.
By shutting down this surveillance program, Trump is delivering on his promise to drain the swamp and restore equal justice under the law.
