A senior U.S. Air Marshal’s spouse was labeled a domestic terrorist and subjected to invasive surveillance after attending a Trump rally on the Ellipse in Washington D.C. on January 6, 2021, despite no evidence linking her to unlawful activity that day, according to a Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee report on the Biden administration’s misuse of the Quiet Skies program.
The individual was placed in the FBI’s Terrorist Screening Database and monitored on domestic flights by Federal Air Marshals for two years, with reports detailing her movements and interactions on a minute-by-minute basis. Her name was cleared only after the FBI closed its case due to mistaken identity, as revealed in a press release from Senate Homeland Security Chairman Rand Paul (R-Ky.).
The Transportation Security Administration’s Quiet Skies initiative, launched in 2010 to monitor travelers with suspicious behaviors or travel patterns, reportedly failed to prevent any terrorism incidents. Tulsi Gabbard, a combat veteran and former congresswoman now serving as Director of National Intelligence, was also surveilled on at least five flights in 2024, according to the report. The surveillance began just one day after she publicly criticized Joe Biden and Kamala Harris.
Senator Paul initiated an investigation into Quiet Skies in 2024 after allegations it was used to harass dissenters of the Biden administration. The probe faced delays due to the administration’s refusal to release records, but documents were obtained after the Trump administration took office. On June 5, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem terminated the program, calling it “politicized.”
Paul released a “flash report” detailing the program’s misuse, citing cases where three Republican lawmakers, over two dozen protesters, and hundreds of Americans who traveled to Washington D.C. ahead of the January 6 protest were placed on TSA watch lists. The report criticized the $200 million-a-year initiative as unconstitutional, noting it failed to stop a single terrorist attack while targeting law-abiding citizens.
At a Senate hearing titled “Examining the Weaponization of the Quiet Skies Program,” whistleblower Mark Crowder, a senior Federal Air Marshal, testified about his wife’s false designation as a domestic terrorist. Christine Crowder, who has a physical disability preventing her from walking long distances, was wrongly flagged for attending a Trump rally. She faced years of surveillance, including invasive screenings and restrictions on airport access, with her family also subjected to harassment.
Crowder condemned the TSA’s diversion of resources from genuine threats to political targeting, stating the agency had “betrayed the solemn promises made after 9/11.” The hearing highlighted broader concerns about the misuse of federal surveillance tools against Americans exercising their constitutional rights.