14 Aug 2020 5:07 pm
DHS Heads Wolf And Cuccinelli Aren’t Legally Eligible For Their Jobs, Congressional Watchdog Finds
The appointments of Chad Wolf, Department of Homeland Security acting secretary, and second-in-command Ken Cuccinnelli circumvented Congress in a way that violated federal law, according to a Government Accountability Office report published Friday.
The report explains that the two top DHS officials are serving in an invalid order of succession, violating the Federal Vacancies Reform Act, which outlines how temporary appointments can be made to positions requiring Senate confirmation.
When former secretary Kirstjen Nielsen resigned in April 2019, the official who took over, Kevin McAleenan, was not supposed to assume the title, according to the Act’s order of succession.
As a result, the subsequent appointments of Wolf and Cuccinnelli when McAleenan resigned in November 2019 were “invalid” under the terms of the Vacancies Reform Act, meaning they are ineligible to serve.
The Government Accountability Office is now referring the matter to the DHS inspector general for review, as it said it’s unable to address the findings itself.
The DHS, which has been involved in some of the Trump administration’s more controversial actions, is run by mostly temporary officials.
https://www.forbes.com/sites/jemimamcev ... 5e1d9461d0
The appointments of Chad Wolf, Department of Homeland Security acting secretary, and second-in-command Ken Cuccinnelli circumvented Congress in a way that violated federal law, according to a Government Accountability Office report published Friday.
The report explains that the two top DHS officials are serving in an invalid order of succession, violating the Federal Vacancies Reform Act, which outlines how temporary appointments can be made to positions requiring Senate confirmation.
When former secretary Kirstjen Nielsen resigned in April 2019, the official who took over, Kevin McAleenan, was not supposed to assume the title, according to the Act’s order of succession.
As a result, the subsequent appointments of Wolf and Cuccinnelli when McAleenan resigned in November 2019 were “invalid” under the terms of the Vacancies Reform Act, meaning they are ineligible to serve.
The Government Accountability Office is now referring the matter to the DHS inspector general for review, as it said it’s unable to address the findings itself.
The DHS, which has been involved in some of the Trump administration’s more controversial actions, is run by mostly temporary officials.
https://www.forbes.com/sites/jemimamcev ... 5e1d9461d0