On Monday, Dec. 14, a former senior Homeland Security official told ABC News of a secret department policy that barred screeners from reviewing the social media content from foreign citizens applying for U.S. visas.
“The primary concern was that it would be viewed negatively if it was disclosed publicly, and there were concerns that it would be embarrassing,” said John Cohen, former DHS undersecretary for intelligence, on “Good Morning America.” Another former senior counterterrorism official added, “They felt looking at public postings (of foreign U.S. visa applicants) was an invasion of their privacy.”
As details emerge of the online activity of the San Bernardino murderers, what is embarrassing is a DHS policy that places political correctness above fear of harm to American citizens—not to mention the hypocrisy of an administration that pursues background checks of every firearm transfer in America, but won’t look at a foreign applicant’s Twitter feed because it might become a public-relations “embarrassment.”
