Scoop: Dem probes Trump's 22-year-old terror prevention official
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Rep. Haley Stevens speaks at a rally in front of the U.S. Capitol on May 6. Photo: Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images
A House Democrat is digging into the Department of Homeland Security's reported hiring of 22-year-old Thomas Fugate to lead a terrorism prevention task force, Axios has learned.
Why it matters: Rep. Haley Stevens (D-Mich.) argued in a letter to DHS Secretary Kristi Noem that Fugate's role raises "troubling questions about whether DHS is taking the prevention of domestic terrorism seriously."
- She wrote that his hiring, along with reported layoffs at his office, come "at a time when threats to public officials and democratic institutions are demonstrably increasing," pointing to the shooting of two Minnesota state legislators and their spouses.
- A DHS spokesperson pushed back by arguing the department has "a robust counterterrorism program" and that the task force "played an insignificant and ineffective role in broader efforts."
State of play: ProPublica reported last month that Fugate, a former Trump campaign worker and Heritage Foundation intern who graduated college last May, was tapped to lead the Center for Prevention Programs and Partnerships.
- The office, commonly referred to as CP3, is charged with distributing grants to help prevent targeted violence towards local communities, including hospitals, schools and religious institutions.
- According to the ProPublica report, the office's staff has been reduced from 80 employees to fewer than 20.
Driving the news: In her letter, a copy of which was first obtained by Axios, Stevens asked Noem for an accounting of CP3's funding and staffing levels.
- She also asked about the "selection process" for Fugate, as well as DHS's broader plans to combat politically motivated violence.
- "I urge you to take immediate steps to restore CP3's mission and ensure qualified leadership is in place to carry it out effectively," Stevens wrote.
The other side: "Unfortunately, under the Biden administration, CP3 was weaponized against political opponents and its main purpose was to funnel money to progressive groups," the DHS spokesperson said.
- The spokesperson added that Christopher Pratt, a DHS senior official performing the duties of Under Secretary for Strategy, Policy and Plans, is "directly overseeing the CP3 program."
- Pratt, they said, "has simply tasked Fugate as well as other staffers, including a new Deputy Assistant Secretary, to assist with the program."
