Homeland Security leaders Wolf and Cuccinelli not legally appointed, watchdog says. Will it matter?
But with Wolf and Cuccinelli squarely at the center of the embattled department’s latest controversies, including deploying armed border officials in military-style fatigues to American cities and sidestepping Supreme Court orders on the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, Friday’s report bolsters arguments in a handful of lawsuits against the administration that its policies are illegal because their appointment was.
“Every bit of the last 18 months of action from DHS is now legally suspect,” said Paul Rosenzweig, a former deputy assistant secretary for policy in the Department of Homeland Security.
…
But now the consequences could be much further reaching for the president’s plans to double down on immigration and a fear-mongering “law and order” message in his reelection bid.
“In a rational world, President Trump would fix this by designating a new, legal acting secretary and have him or her ratify the actions of the predecessors,” Rosenzweig said. “Sadly, it is doubtful that President Trump will act rationally.”
