Rep. Abe Hamadeh (R-AZ) revealed he was one of several Republican members of Congress subjected to surveillance through the Transportation Security Administration’s (TSA) Quiet Skies program under the Biden administration. The Arizona congressman credited Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY), chairman of the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, for exposing what he described as the program’s misuse against American citizens.
Hamadeh, a former U.S. Army Reserve Intelligence Officer with Top-Secret clearance and a Maricopa County prosecutor, expressed dismay at being targeted while serving in the military and as a county prosecutor. “I am disappointed but not surprised that the Biden Administration used TSA’s Quiet Skies rules to target me,” he stated. “Senator Paul described the program as an ‘unconstitutional dystopian nightmare masquerading as a security tool.’ I wholeheartedly agree.”
The congressman alleged the program was weaponized against critics of the Biden administration, citing his own inclusion on a government watchlist during his 2022 attorney general election challenge. “Then-Attorney General candidate Abe Hamadeh was flagged by the Biden administration’s ‘Quiet Skies’ program in December 2022,” his office stated. The timing coincided with his contesting of Arizona’s 2022 election results, which he claimed was a legitimate challenge.
Hamadeh emphasized that his questioning of the election’s integrity led to criticism from Democrats, who he said labeled him a threat to democracy. “I have done and will continue to do all I can to protect and defend our Republic,” he asserted.
A Department of Homeland Security (DHS) statement condemned the Biden administration for weaponizing the TSA against “innocent American citizens,” citing internal investigations into “widespread abuses” by officials under former TSA Administrator David Pekoske. The report revealed that individuals were placed on watch lists for protesting mask mandates or traveling to Washington, D.C., without evidence of wrongdoing.
The DHS noted the Quiet Skies program failed to prevent any terrorist attacks since its creation. Sen. Paul’s investigation highlighted instances where Republican lawmakers and Americans opposing policies were surveilled, with one directive authorizing watchlisting based solely on suspected travel to Washington, D.C., following the January 6, 2021, protests.