Ken "Cooch" Cuccinelli, Acting Deputy Secretary at the Department of Homeland Security, did not come by his job legally. Par for the course, in this Trump administration.
A federal court judge ruled that Cuccinelli was illegally appointed to the job that qualified him for the DHS job he now holds. That previous job, acting principal deputy at USCIS (U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services) was given to him under the Vacancies Reform Act of 1998. Cuccinelli, however, did not meet the qualifications for the appointment under that act. As a result, the judge ruled that not only did he have that job illegally, two of the policies he enacted during that time are void.
According to the New York Times,
One of the policies in question was a directive that reduced the time — from 48 hours to 24 — that detained migrants have to consult with lawyers before an interview with an asylum officer. The other policy prohibited asylum officers from granting migrants an extension to prepare for that interview, which is used to assess their claim of fear of returning to their home country.
Cuccinelli, of course, is unbothered and unconvinced. He appeared on Fox News to reassure Dear Leader and his cult that those policies would be quickly reissued, and that he isn't planning to leave his post regardless of the judge's ruling.
"You can expect to see those efficiently reissued ... and that's just as a precautionary measure as an appeal goes forward. It'll be business as usual until it's played all out, Cuccinelli said."
He's laughing at the situation, shrugging it off as no big deal. According to MSN,
"The succession for the deputy secretary of homeland security ties back to my official position as the principal deputy at USCIS [U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services], there's not a problem with me at my current position," Cuccinelli said on Fox and Friends Monday after initially laughing at the news. "The only issue in the case is related to being the acting director at USCIS. And this ruling is really something of an outlier. This is a methodology that has been used in the past. It's been thought of as legal as — pretty broadly."
Don't you feel better? Knowing that one of Trump's cronies has been placed illegally into his position, and that despite a court ruling, he plans to stay there?
Is there any question In your mind that Trump is planning the same move once his time in office is up?
