Donald Trump to nominate acting Secretary of Homeland Security Chad Wolf to top spot

US President Donald Trump recently announced that he is planning to promote acting Homeland Security Secretary Chad Wolf and will nominate him to be the new Department of Homeland Security chief. As per reports, the department has not had a confirmed secretary since April 2019 when former DHS Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen was asked to step down. Trump made the announcement on Twitter on August 25. While sharing the news, the US President also praised Wolf’s service that plays a significant role in the key Trump administration policy areas of immigration and crime. In the tweet, he added that Chad has done an outstanding job and they greatly appreciate his service.

The announcement comes amid uncertainty over whether Wolf and acting Deputy Secretary Ken Cuccinelli have been legally entitled to hold the top positions at DHS. As per reports, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) earlier this month found that Wolf and Cuccinelli were serving their roles illegally. GAO’s report raised questions on about the legality of decisions made during Wolf’s tenure.

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According to the report when Nielsen resigned in April 2019, the order of succession dictated that it should have been the director of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) who should have taken over. Instead, Trump appointed Kevin McAleenan, who was serving as the head of Customs and Border Protection (CBP). However the finding was rebutted by DHS calling it baseless and baffling. They reportedly also said that Wolf and Cuccinelli were lawfully performing their duties at DHS.

Chad Wolf appointed as acting Homeland Security Secretary in November 2019

As per several reports, Wolf has been serving as the acting secretary since November 2019. He has taken on a significant role in the administration’s efforts of taking strong actions on the violent protests in Portland. Reportedly, Wolf succeeded Kevin McAleenan, who replaced Nielsen in an acting capacity last April and submitted his resignation in October. Reportedly, Wolf has been criticised for deploying federal law enforcement to Portland to safeguard the federal courthouse there from attacks.

However he remained firm on his stance, stating that federal involvement was required since local officials left the building to be besieged. He has also been at the forefront of many issues including immigration, civil unrest, and handling and response to the coronavirus pandemic, due to which he has come under fire for his actions and decisions. However, Trump has constantly praised Wolf during the recent news conferences.

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