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Top Trump Homeland Security officials join Heritage Foundation

29 January 2021
 Dan Ackermann

Chad Wolf, Ken Cuccinelli and Mark Morgan, three of former President Trump's biggest immigration policy defenders, will join the Heritage Foundation on Monday as fellows, Axios has learned.

Why it matters: All three former Homeland Security officials consistently backed Trump and were key in implementing his strict immigration agenda. Now, they will continue to shape conservative policy ideas on national security and foreign policy from the outside.

  • Wolf was one of the final acting secretaries at DHS under Trump, resigning days before Joe Biden's inauguration. He will work on national security projects, including those relating to China and cybersecurity at the the Heritage Foundation.
  • Cuccinelli served as the acting deputy secretary, and Morgan, who often lauded Trump’s border wall, led Customs and Border Protection. They will focus on immigration and border security, as well as China-related issues.

Background: With Wolf and Cuccinelli at the helm, DHS implemented sweeping immigration restrictions, sent in federal law enforcement during the Portland Black Lives Matter protests, responded to the coronavirus, was the target of a sprawling Russia-backed cyber hack and faced massive security concerns following the U.S. Capitol siege.

  • Multiple federal courts over the last few months found that Wolf and Cuccinelli were wrongfully appointed to the two top positions at DHS. Wolf cited the rulings when he announced his resignation as secretary, shortly after the attack on the Capitol.

The Heritage Foundation is a powerful, conservative think tank, which was influential in stocking Trump's cabinet.

What they're saying: "During my time at DHS, Heritage was a strong partner with the Department across a range of issues, to include China, immigration, border security and combating human trafficking and many others that affect our homeland.  I am honored and excited to work closely with the talented Heritage team to continue to advance these issues," Wolf told Axios.

Transcripts show George Floyd told police "I can't breathe" over 20 times

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Newly released transcripts of bodycam footage from the Minneapolis Police Department show that George Floyd told officers he could not breathe more than 20 times in the moments leading up to his death.

Why it matters: Floyd's killing sparked a national wave of Black Lives Matter protests and an ongoing reckoning over systemic racism in the United States. The transcripts "offer one the most thorough and dramatic accounts" before Floyd's death, The New York Times writes.

The state of play: The transcripts were released as former officer Thomas Lane seeks to have the charges that he aided in Floyd's death thrown out in court, per the Times. He is one of four officers who have been charged.

  • The filings also include a 60-page transcript of an interview with Lane. He said he "felt maybe that something was going on" when asked if he believed that Floyd was having a medical emergency at the time.

What the transcripts say:

  • Floyd told the officers he was claustrophobic as they tried to get him into the squad car.
  • The transcripts also show Floyd saying, "Momma, I love you. Tell my kids I love them. I'm dead."
  • Former officer Derek Chauvin, who had his knee on Floyd's neck for over eight minutes, told Floyd, "Then stop talking, stop yelling, it takes a heck of a lot of oxygen to talk."

Read the transcripts via DocumentCloud.