TSA Administrator John Pistole announces retirement today

TSA head to retire

WASHINGTON – John S. Pistole, the Transportation Security Administration’s longest serving administrator, today announced his retirement from public service, effective Dec. 31, 2014, following more than 31 years in the federal government, including four and a half years at TSA and 26 years at the FBI. In the coming weeks, Administrator Pistole is expected to be named to a position in academia beginning in early 2015. “It has been an honor and a privilege to have served as TSA Administrator. No words can convey my deep gratitude for the hard work and dedication of the thousands of men and women committed to protecting the American public,” said Pistole. “I could not be more proud of all that our employees have accomplished together, particularly what they have done to help enhance the effectiveness and efficiency of transportation security while improving the passenger screening experience.” John S. Pistole was nominated for the TSA Administrator position by President Barack Obama in May 2010. He received unanimous confirmation by the United States Senate, assuming his new role in June 2010. Pistole joined the FBI in 1983 after practicing law for two years.

Just wondering if this might have anything to do with the ongoing Ebola debacle.

a reply to: queenofswords

I wonder if he is one of the people for a Jim Marrs report claiming people in high places, CIA, DHS, etc. Have moved to or retired to areas even underground for the impending crisis coming. The claim being the incompetency of this administration is leading to disaster based on their insider information. It's that or he is getting out before the SHTF. lol

a reply to: queenofswords

I was wondering that same thing.

Maybe since the government is not going to ban those coming in from infected countries, too much pressure is being put on the TSA to scan for Ebola.

Surely TSA employees are not trained to spot someone who is sick with no margin of error. Taking temperatures is useless, as a person may not have a fever one day, but the next day they do. The dallas nurse who flew would not have been flagged under the current measures even if she was coming from West Africa, because her temp was not yet at the flagging limit - and look at how that ended up.

The risk is just too high. People could/will die. If things went bad, the TSA might take the fall for not following "protocols". After all, it was the hospital and nurses blamed in Texas, even though they did not have protocols that would have helped anything.

Then we have ISIS members traveling here, with no bans on their countries of origins either.

Who would want to be in charge of an agency that the government is going to use as a scapegoat if they let someone through that takes down the country?

Oh I am sure it has to do with the Ebola scare. He doesn't want this coming down on him, and surely the CDC will try to put blame on TSA for transporting all these Ebola ridden passengers around the world....

Hitting the fan....

a reply to: BlueAjah

Or he resigned because of the Administration not allowing them to block flights. Since, as you stated, TSA agents are not qualified to check people for Ebola, he is retiring because he knows the TSA is going to be blamed for Ebola making into the US from this point out.

We have heard from the CDC, who seems more interested in blaming hospitals for quarantine issues.
We have not heard from our Surgeons General.
We sent 3-4k troops to Africa for some unknown reason.

If I were part of this administration I would be jumping ship as well before I get blamed for something.

Who knows? I do want to point out based on a relatives testimony that the TSA is the biggest joke of an agency we've ever had. They put a whole bunch of untrained unvetted civilians doing the job that customs used to do perfectly fine. They are probably the best example of the ridiculous unnecessary sounds to 9/11. They have not increased security to any real degree but have had many issues of corruption and blatant unnecessary violation of civil rights and common decency.

I'm thinking there is a policy clash of some sort with the WH. In today's testimony, Tom Frieden, director of CDC, danced around and refused to directly answer the question as to whether a travel ban from West Africa has been discussed with the president. Frieden and Obama, it appears, do not think a travel ban is necessary.

What do you bet Pistole thinks differently?

This administration won't do a thing till he sees how the elections are going to turn out.