Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

Skip to comments.

Julie Myers, 36, To Head Immigration and Customs
Newsmax ^ | September 22, 2005 | Dave Eberhart

Posted on 09/22/2005 7:57:13 AM PDT by Millee

ulie Myers is 36 years old, a lawyer and a political appointee to the Bush administration with limited executive experience.

Yet, she is slated to become head of one of the nation's most critical security-related agencies, the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency (ICE), part of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).

The Myers appointment, in the wake of FEMA's disastrous handling of the Katrina Hurricane and the resignation of its chief, Michael Brown, has people from both sides of the political aisle raising hackles.

"The Bush administration has barely rebounded from the resignation of horse show organizer Michael ‘Heck of a job' Brown from FEMA, and yet is pushing forward with the nomination of another inexperienced bureaucrat to a key post at the Department of Homeland Security," conservative syndicated columnist Michelle Malkin railed in an article out this week.

Despite the obvious résumé problems, the Bush administration is not likely to back down on the appointment.

Myers' uncle is none other than the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Gen. Richard B. Myers.

And Myers' husband is DHS chief Michael Chertoff's current chief of staff, John F. Wood.

Great contacts, but "what exactly are the 36-year-old lawyer's main credentials to solve ... dire national security problems?" asks Malkin in her op-head piece.

"Zip, Nada, Nil," answers Malkin.

Story Continues Below

Some lawmakers on Capitol Hill are also worried that tapping the relatively inexperienced Myers may engender down the pike another debacle like that of Katrina fall-guy Michael D. Brown, the recently resigned head of Homeland Security's Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).

At a Senate hearing last week, rumblings over Myers were apparent, according to the Washington Post, with Sen. George V. Voinovich, R-Ohio, at one point baldly concluding that Myers' résumé indicated that she is "not qualified for the position."

Voinovich further announced at the time that he wanted to meet with Chertoff to discuss Myers' qualifications. "I'd really like to have him spend some time with us, telling us personally why he thinks you're qualified for the job..."

Part of that highly scrutinized résumé indicates that Julie L. Myers was nominated by President Bush on June 26, 2003, and confirmed by the Senate on October 17, 2003, to serve as the assistant secretary for Export Enforcement at the Department of Commerce. During her brief tenure in her Commerce position, Myers was responsible for developing and coordinating the Department's efforts to prevent, and where necessary, sanction violations of U.S. dual-use export control laws and the anti-boycott provisions of the Export Administration Act.

She also managed Commerce Special Agents who work at eight field offices in the United States, and oversaw the Export Enforcement's international attache program.

At Commerce, Myers oversaw just 170 federal employees and managed a budget of $25 million. In her new job heading up ICE, Myers will be expected to manage more than 20,000 employees and a $4 billion budget.

The White House has been emphasizing that Myers' role in sanctioning violations of U.S. dual-use export control laws and the anti-boycott provisions of the Export Administration Act represents solid law enforcement experience.

As Erin Healy, a White House spokeswoman, told the Washington Post: "She's well-known and respected throughout the law enforcement community ... She has a proven track record as an effective manager."

Prior to joining the Department of Commerce, Myers served as the chief of staff of the Criminal Division for then-assistant attorney general Michael Chertoff at the Department of Justice.

Before that, she served as the deputy assistant secretary for Money Laundering and Financial Crimes at the Department of Treasury. She also worked as an Assistant United States Attorney in the Eastern District of New York and as an Associate Independent Counsel in the Office of Independent Counsel for Kenneth W. Starr.

"I realize that I'm not 80 years old," Myers testified recently on Capitol Hill. "I have a few gray hairs, more coming, but I will seek to work with those who are knowledgeable in this area, who know more than I do."

Malkin couldn't let that nugget slide without comment: "Please, spare us the not-so-clever rejoinders about age and wisdom. Reagan could pull them off. Myers can't. Why hire someone who needs to ‘seek to work' with those ‘who know more than I do' in order to her job?"

After Sept. 11, Immigration, then a Justice Dept. agency, was heavily criticized for failing to stop many of the al Qaida hijackers from entering the U.S. or having them deported, as many of them were here illegally.

Malkin says Myers' appointment in light of Sept. 11 is worrisome.

"Myers may be perfectly capable of writing legal briefs and organizing policy conferences," Malkin writes. "I'm sure her knowledge of export controls is second to none. But as long as the borders are broken and al Qaida continues to exploit lax immigration enforcement, she has no business heading ICE - or any other DHS agency."

The head of ICE is required by statute to have at least five years of experience in both law enforcement and management. That requirement alone spells a world of difference between Myers and Brown, the latter having joined FEMA with no experience in disaster preparedness.

But the experience factor aside, Myers has yet another headache in the works. Sen. Carl Levin, D-Mich., is threatening to use legislative delaying tactics against Myers' nomination - until he receives a secret FBI memo about terror suspect interrogations that he's been seeking for months, according to the Associated Press.

At the heart of Levin's issue is a heavily abridged May 2004 e-mail from FBI agents seeking guidance about questioning terror suspects held at Guantanamo Bay.

As far back as February, Democratic senators were asking for an unedited version of the memo to see if it mentioned or involved Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff, who headed the Justice Department's criminal division from 2001 to 2003.

However, the Justice Department has consistently nixed the request, saying the memos contain "information covered by the Privacy Act," and had nothing to do with Chertoff.

Myers was Chertoff's chief of staff at the time.


TOPICS: Government
KEYWORDS: aliens; bice; dhs; immigrantlist; juliemyers
Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first previous 1-2021-4041-6061-71 next last
To: All

*sigh*


21 posted on 09/22/2005 8:22:08 AM PDT by conservatrice
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Millee

OK, so she may not have the experience for the job. A more important Q: would she enforce the immigration laws, or (like the chief executive) ignore them?


22 posted on 09/22/2005 8:22:52 AM PDT by reelfoot
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Millee

I've had to deal with INS/ICE for years, so will tell you this:

Hack she may be, but she certainly can't do worse.


23 posted on 09/22/2005 8:23:54 AM PDT by Gefreiter ("Are you drinking 1% because you think you're fat?")
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Millee

I'm sure Myers will be counted on to "be a team player" and "do as she's told"......................

Cronyism?


24 posted on 09/22/2005 8:27:11 AM PDT by WhiteGuy (Vote for gridlock)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Millee

Let's see. She's married to the chief of staff for the man who will be her boss. And she's the daughter of the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. I'm sure no one would let those itty bitty details stand in the way of holding her feet to the fire to make sure she gets the job done.


25 posted on 09/22/2005 8:29:01 AM PDT by drjimmy
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Millee
"I realize that I'm not 80 years old," Myers testified recently on Capitol Hill.

I think she means, "not a gajillion years old."

26 posted on 09/22/2005 8:37:22 AM PDT by monkey
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: indcons
Myers' uncle is none other than the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Gen. Richard B. Myers.

When I first saw the headlines and started reading the article my heart flopped, because I have been very upset with Bush's lack of border enforcement. However, when I read the above sentence my position changed immediately.

I went to high school for four years with Dick Myers, and knew him well. Indeed, he will be at our 45th class reunion this coming Saturday. Believe me when I say he was the sharpest kid on the block. Those of you who served in the military know all too well how difficult it is for a "nice guy" to be a general, which Myers is at heart. I can tell you Myers' niece is sharp, very sharp. She is also very close to her uncle, and they talk about everything. The only concern I have is if Bush or others in the administration stop her from enforcing the laws.
27 posted on 09/22/2005 8:37:41 AM PDT by GarySpFc (Sneakypete, De Oppresso Liber)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 2 | View Replies]

To: KarlInOhio

"I find it hard to believe that a 36 year old has anywhere close to enough experience to run Immigrations. "

You should read her bio. Her experience in the Customs area is all in Commerce, i.e., moving products efficiently across the border, not maintaining security on the border.


28 posted on 09/22/2005 8:49:43 AM PDT by webstersII
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 13 | View Replies]

To: 1_Inch_Group; 2sheep; 2Trievers; 3AngelaD; 4Freedom; 4ourprogeny; 7.62 x 51mm; A CA Guy; ...

ping


29 posted on 09/22/2005 8:53:23 AM PDT by gubamyster
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Millee

She's older than Michelle Malkin.

But I'll concede that it doesn't take as much talent to be a constantly harping backseat driver with a pen.


30 posted on 09/22/2005 8:58:37 AM PDT by Diddle E. Squat
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

Comment #31 Removed by Moderator

To: GarySpFc
"The only concern I have is if Bush or others in the administration stop her from enforcing the laws."

Well, he's had 5 years to enforce immigration laws and secure our borders....what makes you think he's going to start now?
He's had 5 years to uphold his oath to protect our beloved Constitution....and all he's done is subvert it by signing CAFTA.

So, your concern is certainly warranted
32 posted on 09/22/2005 9:11:33 AM PDT by taxed2death (A few billion here, a few trillion there...we're all friends right?)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 27 | View Replies]

To: KarlInOhio
"The President is "stuck on stupid" when it comes to the border. Hmmm, maybe General Honore wants the job."

Exactly what it will take to show immigration enforcement will be treated seriously rather than as a public relations problem. The last time ANY president took immigration enforcement seriously was when Nixon appointed retired General Chapman to head the agency.

Unfortunately, the future of immigration policy was decided by Ted Kennedy's "leadership" in the Congress, Liberal Federal Courts and the soon to be Peanut President. After that even Conservative Presidents have dodged or fumbled the issue.

33 posted on 09/22/2005 9:14:31 AM PDT by drpix
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 15 | View Replies]

To: Biblebelter
She's just another do-nothing future fall-girl, who won't make waves, who will go along with the Bush open border policy.


34 posted on 09/22/2005 9:15:57 AM PDT by Travis McGee (--- www.EnemiesForeignAndDomestic.com ---)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 5 | View Replies]

To: Millee
By attempting to appoint another unqualified hack with the right crony connections to a critical national security post, the president is exposing himself to precisely the kind of criticism he can least afford, i.e., that he's soft on protecting the American people.

Bush appears to be losing his political instincts, which used to be the only thing he had going for him. Speaking for myself, I'm becoming more and more disenchanted with his presidency with each passing week.

35 posted on 09/22/2005 9:18:22 AM PDT by beckett (Amor Fati)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: KarlInOhio
I find it hard to believe that a 36 year old has anywhere close to enough experience to run Immigrations.

Care to take a guess how old now-Vice President Dick Cheney was when he was running the White House as Ford's Chief of Staff?
36 posted on 09/22/2005 9:25:06 AM PDT by tanknetter
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 13 | View Replies]

To: beckett

I find it interesting that everyone is jumping on the Democrat bandwagon on this; seems the loudest mouths are in the press who are not qualified to be reporters let alone experts on Homeland Defense or any part of national defense. She may have all the qualifications for this post. I'd rather have her in this post than Carl Levin, Leahey, Kerry, Kennedy, Polosi, Shummer, Jimmy Carter, etc.


37 posted on 09/22/2005 9:27:12 AM PDT by wvnavyvet
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 35 | View Replies]

To: GarySpFc; Millee
can tell you Myers' niece is sharp, very sharp.

Then I'll give her the benefit of the doubt, as a person, that she'll do her level best.

I think you can understand why people are less inclined to give Bush or the political class in general the benefit of the doubt on this issue. And without the full backing of both the executive and the congress, she isn't going to be able to do much more than move the bucket from leak to leak.

38 posted on 09/22/2005 9:30:02 AM PDT by marron
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 27 | View Replies]

To: Millee
Hmmmm...young, underqualified, given position important for National Security. Reminds me of something....


39 posted on 09/22/2005 9:30:53 AM PDT by Plutarch
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Plutarch
Hmmmm...young, underqualified, given position important for National Security. Reminds me of something....

Dick Cheney?
40 posted on 09/22/2005 9:31:50 AM PDT by tanknetter
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 39 | View Replies]


Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first previous 1-2021-4041-6061-71 next last

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.

Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson