Post-9/11 Surveillance Work Looms Over Biden’s Homeland Pick

Civil liberties advocates are sounding the alarm about President Joe Biden’s pick to lead the Department of Homeland Security’s intelligence arm.

Ken Wainstein, who would take charge of the Office of Intelligence and Analysis if confirmed by the Senate, worked on post-9/11 surveillance and counterterrorism initiatives that critics say deserve closer scrutiny.

“If we’re going to try to make progress moving forward, we need people who think differently,” Chris Habiby, legislative and policy coordinator for the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee, said in an interview.

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Wainstein has notched letters of support from former government officials and national security professionals, as well as Karen Greenberg, a prominent civil liberties scholar at Fordham University.

Carrie Cordero, who worked with Wainstein at the Justice Department and the Office of the Director of National Intelligence and signed one of the letters, said he navigated the post-9/11 crisis period with “fidelity to the law and DOJ guidelines.”

“He is exactly the type of leader that DHS I&A needs now,” she said.

Read the full story from Bloomberg Government.