Chad Fredrick Wolf was born on June 21,1976 and is a former lobbyist and former American government official who was named the acting United States secretary of homeland security in November 2019.
36 Facts About Chad Wolf
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Chad Wolf was an architect of the Trump administration family separation policy in 2018, and was prominently involved in the deployment of federal law enforcement forces in Portland and elsewhere beginning in July 2020.
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Chad Wolf resigned his post on January 11,2021, after a number of similar court rulings.
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Chad Fredrick Wolf was born to James B Wolf and Cinda Thompson Wolf in Jackson, Mississippi.
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Chad Wolf graduated from Plano East Senior High School and then attended Collin College on a tennis scholarship.
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Chad Wolf then transferred to Southern Methodist University, where he earned a Bachelor of Arts in history.
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Chad Wolf worked as a staffer for Republican Senators Phil Gramm, Kay Bailey Hutchison, and then Chuck Hagel, for whom he worked for two and a half years.
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Chad Wolf helped clients obtain contracts from the TSA, his previous employer.
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In March 2017 Chad Wolf became the Transportation Security Administration's chief of staff.
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Chad Wolf served in that position for four months, then became DHS Deputy Chief of Staff and the top aide to Deputy Secretary Elaine Duke.
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In July 2017, Chad Wolf became DHS's chief of staff under Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen.
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Under questioning from Senator Jacky Rosen, Chad Wolf later testified to Congress that he was not involved in the policy's development and that his function was to provide information to Nielsen and "not to determine whether it was the right or wrong policy".
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Chad Wolf has said he "supported the President's decision when he issued an executive order to stop that practice".
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Chad Wolf concurrently served as Acting Under Secretary of Homeland Security for Strategy, Policy, and Plans.
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Chad Wolf was nominated in February 2019 to serve permanently as Under Secretary, and his confirmation hearing was held that June.
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Chad Wolf began serving as Acting Secretary of Homeland Security in November 2019.
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Chad Wolf was sworn in as Acting Secretary the same day.
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On September 11,2020, federal judge Paula Xinis ruled that Chad Wolf was likely unlawfully serving as acting secretary of the Department of Homeland Security.
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Likewise, on November 14,2020, federal judge Nicholas Garaufis ruled that Chad Wolf was not lawfully serving as acting secretary of Department of Homeland Security.
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On January 8,2021, Judge James Donato of the US District Court for the Northern District of California became the fifth judge to rule that Chad Wolf was not lawfully acting as the Acting Secretary of Homeland Security.
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Chad Wolf was expected to continue to serve as Acting Secretary during the confirmation process, as his acting appointment was made under the Homeland Security Act of 2002 and not the Federal Vacancies Reform Act of 1998, which prevents most nominees from simultaneously acting in the same position.
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On September 23,2020, Chad Wolf appeared before the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs.
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On January 3,2021, Chad Wolf's nomination was resubmitted to the 117th Congress, but on January 6, it was formally withdrawn, reportedly around one hour after Chad Wolf called upon Trump to denounce the 2021 storming of the United States Capitol.
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Chad Wolf was reported to have a good relationship with White House advisor Stephen Miller.
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Chad Wolf maintained a low public profile during the early part of his term, prior to his prominent involvement in the deployment of federal law enforcement forces in Portland, Oregon, and elsewhere beginning in July 2020.
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Berkeley Research Group did not receive any DHS contracts until Chad Wolf started at the agency as chief of staff for the Transportation Security Administration.
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In February 2020, Chad Wolf announced that the Trump administration was revoking New York residents' ability to participate in Global Entry and other Trusted Traveler programs, in response to the state's "sanctuary" immigration policies, which DHS said jeopardized the government's ability to effectively vet travelers.
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In spring 2020, communicating through White House national security adviser Robert C O'Brien, Wolf allegedly ordered former head of DHS intelligence Brian Murphy to focus his reports on Iran and China.
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Chad Wolf allegedly told Murphy not to expose the Russian origins of an anti-Biden disinformation campaign because the exposure "made the president look bad".
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In September 2020, Chad Wolf defied a subpoena to testify before the House Committee on Homeland Security.
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In October 2020, Chad Wolf sent Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey a letter calling on him to "commit to never again censoring content" on Twitter.
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On January 11,2021, Chad Wolf resigned after the storming of the United States Capitol, effective that evening, with FEMA Administrator Pete Gaynor as his replacement.
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In July 2020, Chad Wolf sent about 100 federal agents dressed in camouflage and tactical gear to Portland, Oregon, to help guard the federal courthouse, where they used tear gas on protesters who threw fireworks, frozen water bottles and balloons filled with paint and feces, breaking courthouse windows and setting parts of the courthouse on fire multiple times.
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Oregon Governor Kate Brown called the actions an "abuse of power" and accused Chad Wolf of "provoking confrontation for political purposes".
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Chad Wolf alleged the protesters were a "violent mob" and "violent anarchists".
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Chad Wolf was criticized for taking unauthorized photographs inside the courthouse, contrary to local and national court policy.