Under The Microscope: Acting DHS Secretary Under Investigation After ICE Raid Details Were Leaked

Matt Vespa / Townhall Tipsheet

Well, remember the details of Immigration and Custom’s Enforcement upcoming raids on illegals were leaked to the press? Only a very small group of people knew the cities involved and other details that made their way onto the pages of The Washington Post. It was alleged that acting Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kevin McAleenan leaked the details. DHS Sources that reached out to Anna Giaritelli of The Washington Examiner pointed to McAleenan as the leaker, while also tossing the grenade that he cares more about how liberals view him than executing his duties at the agency. That’s some serious stuff. Well, he’s now under investigation for leaking the details of the ICE raids. This leak caused the raids to be delayed (via Washington Examiner):

Acting Secretary of Homeland Security Kevin McAleenan is at the center of a federal investigation into the leak of confidential government information in late June that forced Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to call off a nationwide operation, three senior administration officials told the Washington Examiner.

Following the publishing of sensitive leaked law enforcement information on June 21, then-acting ICE Director Mark Morgan’s team followed department protocol and reported the incident to the ICE Joint Intake Center so they could investigate. JIC is an agency office that handles internal investigations of personnel misconduct, sexual abuse, staff neglect, or violations of responsibilities that may have contributed to such incidents.

“There is an ongoing investigation. An internal investigation has been launched,” one official said in a phone call Friday.

The investigation, which is not a criminal probe, is centered around the leader of the department’s 240,000 employees, as well as at least one aide, for possible involvement in the leak. ICE did not immediately respond to a request for comment. It's not clear if JIC has referred the matter to the DHS Office of the Inspector General.

The department has been under siege by Democrats over the border crisis. The Left doesn’t want to be seen working with Trump or look like they’re funding ICE, which is part of the DHS. In the meantime, the number of border apprehensions has hit or surpassed 100,000 a month and it’s been that way for most of 2019. Yes, the detention centers for illegals are overcrowded. McAleenan had warned that DHS was running out of money to handle the crisis. It wasn’t until recently that moderate House Democrats and Pelosi decided to move forward and pass the Senate border bill, which provided $4.6 billion to help deal with the situation on the border. The far left was furious, as it did not have the provisions in their trash bill that would have hamstrung federal immigration enforcement agencies from doing their jobs. Yet, the ICE raids have been controversial within the halls of the DHS. Former DHS Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen was asked to resign after she expressed her reluctance to move forward with the plan. Could the same be happening with McAleenan? In June, he denied he was the leaker on Laura Ingraham’s show on Fox News (via Fox News):

The acting head of the Department of Homeland Security on Thursday night denied leaking information that eventually led to the cancellation of ICE raids in 10 cities across America.

"I would not, have not, ever leaked details of a sensitive law enforcement operation," acting Secretary Kevin McAleenan said during an appearance on Fox News' "The Ingraham Angle."

"My primary responsibility," he added, "is the safety of the men and women who go out there every day to protect the American people. And so it's just not true."

Well, someone is lying and we’ll find out soon enough.