Trump Administration Shuts Down ‘Quiet Skies’ Passenger Surveillance Program

The Trump administration closed a controversial program that used undercover U.S. air marshals on flights to surveil passengers, and removed a government official who took responsibility for putting Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard in it. Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem called for an investigation into the program as she announced its closure on Thursday. DHS said the program cost taxpayers $200 million a year and “failed to stop a single terrorist attack.”  In a recent meeting, administration officials confronted leadership at the Transportation Security Administration over what they said was politically motivated use of the Quiet Skies program under the Biden administration, according to people familiar with the matter. Corey Lewandowski, who has been serving as a special government employee at DHS, asked TSA staff who had been responsible for putting Gabbard in the program. Stacey Fitzmaurice, the executive assistant administrator for operations at TSA, took responsibility, some of the people said. Fitzmaurice was subsequently put on leave and escorted out of the building, the people said.