Steve Neavling ticklethewire.com How prepared is Homeland Security to handle terrorism threats? On the 12th anniversary of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, a Senate panel will ask that question as it examines the department and interviews former lawmakers and past DHS officials, including the first Homeland Security secretary, Tom Ridge, the Washington Post reports. The…
By Michael A. Memoli Los Angeles Times WASHINGTON – B. Todd Jones is on the cusp of becoming the first Senate-confirmed director of the ATF on Thursday, after a fierce lobbying effort successfully swayed a single Republican lawmaker to change her vote. Democrats had expected a close result, but nonetheless were confident they had the…
Steve Neavling ticklethewire.com President Obama’s nominee to lead the FBI, James Comey, is likely to face scrutiny over government surveillance following the discovery that the NSA had access to virtually all Americans’ phones, The Wall Street Journal reports. That’s because Comey, a former prosecutor, is intimately familiar with surveillance. In 2004, Comey threatened to resign…
Steve Neavling ticklethewire.com Rep. Mike Rogers is believed to be among President Obama’s top choices for the next FBI director. But senior Republicans have other plans for him, The Hill reports. GOP leaders want the seven-term Michigan Republican, who is backed by the FBI Agents Association, to stay in the legislative branch, either to maintain…
Steve Neavling ticklethewire.com Eight months after being nominated, Terrence Berg, the former interim U.S. Attorney in Detroit, was confirmed Thursday by the U.S. Senate for a U.S. District Court judgeship in Detroit, the Detroit Free Press reports. Berg had been waiting for Senate approval since President Obama nominated him to the seat in April. Berg…
By Allan Lengel ticklethewire.com A just-released Senate report on Mexico drug trafficking urges judicial and police reforms in Mexico and calls for the Obama Administration to provide more resources to its southern neighbor and to do more to starve Mexico’s drug trafficking organizations of the money that fuels them. The report, issued by The U.S….
By Allan Lengel ticklethewire.com WASHINGTON — The U.S. Senate on Wednesday approved Stacia A. Hylton as the new U.S. Marshal by unanimous consent. Authorities said Hylton returns to the U.S. Marshals Service after operating her own consulting company, Hylton Kirk & Associates. She served in federal law enforcement for 29 years, including as the Federal…
By Allan Lengel ticklethewire.com WASHINGTON — After serving as acting head of the DEA since November 2007, Michele Leonhart finally got confirmed as the permanent leader of the agency. The U.S. Senate on Wednesday night unanimously voted to confirm Leonhart, making her the 10th administrator in the DEA’s history, the agency said. Leonhart is the…
