Tulsi Gabbard claims she was placed on a little-known air travel watchlist and subjected to grueling searches in a ‘politically motivated’ effort to intimidate her.
The Director of National Intelligence shed light on the Quiet Skies watchlist on Tuesday, just hours after the House Governmental Affairs Committee uncovered new details about the incident.
Speaking to Fox host Laura Ingraham, Gabbard revealed she was first placed on the watchlist in late July, 2024 – just one day after she publicly criticized the newly appointed Democratic presidential nominee, Kamala Harris.
‘It was absolutely politically motivated,’ she said.
‘I think they were trying to intimidate me but they were really trying to create this chilling affect… and send a message out to people that if you go and criticize Kamala Harris… you too would face the consequences.’
During her stint on this highly secretive watch list, Gabbard’s appearance, the amount of electronic devices she was using, and the identity of any person she met on her travels was documented and reported back to the government.
‘They had to to report back, these federal air marshals who were surrveiling me, about my appearance, what kind of electronic devices I had in my possession, did I have any interactions with unknown individuals while traveling. The list goes on and on,’ she said.
The program assigns federal air marshals to follow US citizens who pose an ‘elevated risk to aviation security’ through airports and on flights.
Tulsi Gabbbard and her husband (pictured together) were stopped and subjected to further TSA testing every time they went to the airport after she was placed on the list
Gabbard revealed she was first placed on the watchlist in late July, 2024 – just one day after she publicly criticized the newly appointed Democratic presidential nominee, Kamala Harris
As a result, there’s at least five agents would be following her and keeping a close eye on every flight she takes.
Gabbard noted that the Quiet Skies program has never once caught a terrorist.
She said: ‘This program has been going on for nearly two decades… not a single terrorist has been caught. For as long as this program has existed.
‘Every single day, 40 to 50 federal air marshals are tasked with surrveiling everyday Americans for no purpose, these arbitrary reasons put forward.’
In her case, she said once Republicans began asking questions about the reasons she was placed under surveillance, ‘the TSA started changing their story and making things up about why they were justified putting me on this list.’
Despite any of the excuses which have been offered, Gabbard said it was abundantly clear to her that it was linked to her criticism of Harris.
She had spoken from Rome to Fox about how ‘Harris would be dangerous for our country’s security, the safety, security and freedom of the American people if she were to become Commander-in-Chief.’
The next day, she and her husband arrived at the airport to return home to the United States.
Three sources said Gabbard’s overseas travel patterns as well as her connections to certain foreign entities had triggered the government algorithm which tries to identify security risks
Gabbard, a Trump ally, slammed the former administration for wasting resources on monitoring her
They were immediately put through rigorous security testing and from that moment onwards, every single time she arrived at the airport she was taken for further questioning, which would take upwards of 40 minutes every time.
On some occasions, she would be required to go through the process multiple times for a single flight, all while being assured she had been ‘randomly selected.’
Gabbard had been in the Vatican conducting meetings, including with other Americans who were never put on any such lists or treated with the same hostility.
Three sources told CNN at the time that Gabbard’s overseas travel patterns as well as her connections to certain foreign entities had triggered the government algorithm which tries to identify security risks.
At least two of the sources denied her theory that she was targeted because of her criticism of Harris. Instead, they argued that while in the Vatican, she attended an event in the Vatican hosted by a person on an FBI watchlist.
‘The only difference was they were not on your show the day before traveling back to the United States, or any show for that matter, publicly criticizing then-Vice President Kamala Harris,’ Gabbard told Ingraham.
Republican Senator Rand Paul had earlier on Tuesday confirmed Gabbard’s presence on the watch list.
‘Just last night, I received the first set of records from the department regarding Tulsi Gabbard’s placement on the TSA Quiet Skies watch list,’ Paul said.
During her stint on this highly secretive watch list, Gabbard’s appearance, the amount of electronic devices she was using, and the identity of any person she met on her travels was documented and reported back to the government
Gabbard noted that the Quiet Skies program has never once caught a terrorist
‘These documents confirm our suspicions. Federal air marshals surveilled the now-director of national intelligence during domestic flights in 2024, reporting back information related to her appearance and even how many electronics she was observed using. Unfortunately, this is not an isolated case.’
Gabbard went on to criticize ‘the Biden administration’s weaponization and politicization of the government against everyday Americans, violating our most fundamental constitutional rights and civil liberties.’
A spokesperson for the TSA previously said: ‘TSA uses multi-layered security processes to protect the nation’s transportation systems and ensure freedom of movement for people and commerce.
‘TSA’s Quiet Skies program is a risk-based, automated approach to transportation security, to include identifying potential risks and applying enhanced security measures.’