Lawsuit forces closure of Biden’s controversial Department of Homeland Security panel.
The Biden administration has agreed to wind down a controversial intelligence “experts” group following a lawsuit from a conservative legal nonprofit, asserting that the group violated federal law. This decision comes after the Homeland Intelligence Experts Group was introduced by DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas in September. The group consisted of individuals from the private sector who offered perspectives on the government’s intelligence and national security efforts.
Mayorkas stated, “The security of the American people depends on our capacity to collect, generate, and disseminate actionable intelligence to our federal, state, local, territorial, tribal, campus, and private sector partners.”
Critics of the group argued that it was not a neutral body but rather a partisan one. In particular, they raised concerns about the inclusion of figures like former Director of National Intelligence James Clapper and former CIA Director John Brennan, who had signed a letter questioning the veracity of the Hunter Biden laptop story.
America First Legal, the organization behind the lawsuit, discovered that only 1% of the political contributions from group members went to Republicans, while 98% went to Democrats. This imbalance led multiple Republican lawmakers to demand the withdrawal of appointments for individuals they viewed as “known purveyors of disinformation.”
In response to the lawsuit, DHS agreed to wind down the Experts Group. The organization maintained that the establishment and operation of the group did not violate the Federal Advisory Committee Act but agreed to dissolve it. The agreement included the stipulation that the group would not hold future meetings, and DHS would provide meeting agendas and minutes with identifying information redacted.
Former Trump White House advisor Stephen Miller, who leads America First Legal, celebrated the agreement as a victory. He commended former acting Director of National Intelligence Richard Grenell for standing up to the “Deep State” and achieving success in the legal battle.
Grenell echoed Miller’s sentiments, stating that DHS surrendered because they recognized the validity of the legal arguments put forth by America First Legal. The conservative plaintiffs asserted that the closure of the group prevented the promotion of biased intelligence activities that could infringe on civil rights.
Despite requests for comment, DHS did not immediately respond. This decision to disband the Experts Group marks a significant development in the ongoing debate over intelligence and national security practices within the Biden administration.
