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Confirmation for New Homeland Security Chief Nominee - Michael Chertov

Abstract: Judge Michael Chertoff’s confirmation hearings took place February 2, 2005 and focused on issues of homeland security and personal liberties. Chertoff also discussed increases in port security.

On February 2, senate confirmation hearings for Michael Chertoff, President Bush’s nominee for the Department of Homeland Security chief took place.  The nomination for Secretary Tom Ridge’s replacement was made January 11, after the initial nominee New York Police Commissioner Bernard Kerik withdrew his name.

As Homeland Security chief, Chertoff will be responsible for leading the department of 184,000 employees and 22 agencies to prevent further attacks on U.S. soil. This includes not only immigration and customs, but also the air marshal program and the U.S. Coast Guard (1).  He has already played a valuable role in this goal, as he was the manager of the Criminal Division of the Department of Justice.  In this capacity, Chertoff helped trace the September 11, 2001, attacks to al Qaeda.  He also argued the case against Zacarias Moussaoui’s request for other terror suspects in custody (2).

One specific area of supply chain security discussed during the confirmation hearings was port security.  Chertoff expressed clear support for port security and a need for risk analysis in distribution of homeland security resources, "My general thoughts about protecting our vulnerable infrastructure is to be disciplined about identifying and prioritizing, so we're not spending all of our efforts on one type of infrastructure, like aviation, when we neglect other parts, such as ports and harbors (3).

Given confusion about the roles of organizations within the Department of Homeland Security, the nominee pledged to review the structure and clarify the roles of Customs and Border Protection and Transportation Security.

Another area Chertoff promised careful consideration was in the area of balancing individual freedoms with Homeland Security.  While he did praise the often-criticized Patriot Act, he emphasized consideration of both in decision making.

Chertoff, 51, received both his undergraduate and law degree from Harvard University and has served in many legal roles in the U.S. government, including as the Assistant Attorney General for the U.S. Department of Justice.

References:

(1) Munoz, Sara Schaefer. “Homeland Nominee Chertoff Says He Would Defend Civil Liberties.” Wall Street Journal. Feb. 3, 2005

(2) “Bush Nominates New Homeland Security Chief.” CNN.com, Jan. 11, 2005

(3) Edmonson, R.G. “Don’t neglect port security, says DHS nominee.” Journal of Commerce. Feb. 2, 2005.