Emanuel Says Competence Matters

WASHINGTON, D.C.—Today, U.S. Representative Rahm Emanuel delivered the following statement on the House floor:

            “Mr. Speaker, just when we thought things couldn’t get any worse at the Department of Homeland Security, today we find out that a senior official was arrested for child porn.

            “Last night Brian Doyle, the deputy press secretary at DHS, was arrested while attempting to seduce a detective posing as a 14 year-old girl.  

            “He’s been charged with 23 counts related to using his computer to seduce a minor.

            “How did they catch him?  He told the agent posing as the girl that he worked for the Department of Homeland Security, going so far as to give out his office phone number and sending her copies of his ID. 

            “He even used his office phone for explicit conversations.

            “Not only that, he’s giving out sensitive information. 

            “And this isn’t the first time something like this has happened. 

            “This week Frank Figueroa, another senior Department of Homeland Security official, is on trial for exposing himself to a teenage girl at a mall in Tampa. 

            “From the Katrina disaster to now this, it gives a whole new meaning to the word ‘incompetence.’

            “Mr. Speaker, for once I am at a loss for words.

            “What is going on at Homeland Security? 

            “How can so many things go wrong and still nobody is held accountable?  

            “The White House is under fire for spying on average Americans, but maybe they should spend some time looking into the backgrounds of the people they hire in their Administration.

            “It’s time for new priorities here in Washington.”