President Trump has officially nominated Acting Secretary of DHS Chad Wolf to be Secretary of DHS.
Wolf has been Acting Secretary since November 13, 2019.
According to Fox News:
President Trump tweeted Tuesday he’s planning on promoting Chad Wolf and will nominate the acting secretary to be the new Department of Homeland Security chief.
I am pleased to inform the American Public that Acting Secretary Chad Wolf will be nominated to be the Secretary of Homeland Security. Chad has done an outstanding job and we greatly appreciate his service!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 25, 2020
The last time DHS had a Senate-confirmed secretary was April 2019. That’s when Kirstjen Nielsen resigned after 16 months on the job, marked by high-profile efforts to stem the influx of migrants at the U.S.-Mexico border.
Wolf has come under fire from Oregon officials for deploying federal law enforcement to Portland to protect the federal courthouse there from nightly attacks. But he remained firm that federal intervention was needed since local officials left the building to be besieged.
“We have the authority to make arrests on individuals that are targeting that courthouse, committing criminal acts against that courthouse and our law enforcement officers,” Wolf told Fox News in July. “The law is very clear about this.”
Earlier this month, Wolf’s appointment to the Acting Secretary post was ruled invalid by the Government Accountability Office (GAO). DHS brushed aside this “baffling” report but it did raise concerns over the legality of some of his decisions.
