By Steve Neavling
The U.S. Senate on Wednesday confirmed Rodney Scott as commissioner of CBP in a 51-46 party-line vote, despite accusations he helped cover up the death of a migrant in federal custody, The Guardian reports.
Scott, a former Border Patrol chief and Trump ally, will now lead one of the largest federal law enforcement agencies. His confirmation drew sharp criticism from Democrats, who cited his alleged role in obstructing an investigation into the 2010 death of Anastasio Hernández Rojas, a Mexican man beaten and tased by CBP agents in San Diego.
James Wong, a former CBP internal affairs official, accused Scott of overseeing a “cover-up” by improperly using an administrative subpoena to access Hernández Rojas’s medical records while local police were still investigating.
“This abuse of power disqualifies him from leading one of the largest law enforcement agencies in the country,” Wong wrote in a letter to Sen. Ron Wyden, the top Democrat on the Finance Committee.
Scott denied interfering in the case, calling the subpoena standard procedure. He also defended his membership in a private Facebook group where agents posted racist and violent messages, saying inappropriate users were disciplined and didn’t represent the entire group.
Wyden warned that Scott’s record shows he will “enable Donald Trump’s worst impulses.” But Republican Sen. Mike Crapo praised Scott as someone who “knows what policies make CBP effective.”
