GOP demands TSA account for Tulsi Gabbard's inclusion in surveillance program

House Homeland Security Chairman Mark Green and Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., on Wednesday wrote to acting Transportation Security Administration (TSA) Administrator Adam Stahl demanding that he provide information on the inclusion of now-Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard in a surveillance program for high-risk travelers.

"We write today to reiterate longstanding congressional oversight requests regarding the Transportation Security Administration’s (TSA) Quiet Skies program and the Federal Air Marshal Service’s (FAMS) surveillance of high-risk travelers and flights, including the intelligence-based justifications for Special Mission Coverage and other FAMS mission assignments," they began.

Gabbard was added to the TSA's Quiet Skies program and has confirmed that she experienced additional screening while traveling. She has long faced scrutiny for her trips abroad, including one to Syria where she met with then-President Bashar al-Assad. Though the letter did not mention Gabbard by name, the press release announcing the letter featured her prominently.

"Recent disclosures suggest that TSA, under the Biden administration, may have engaged in unwarranted screening of individuals based on political beliefs, travel patterns, or other nonsecurity-related factors [sic]," the pair wrote. "This is a deeply troubling prospect that demands immediate and unequivocal clarification."

They also requested a classified briefing for the House and Senate Homeland Security Committees on the matter.

"We understand that transitioning leadership and managing national security priorities are significant undertakings, and we appreciate the work TSA does to keep Americans safe," they said. "However, congressional oversight is not optional."