The wife of a senior U.S. Air Marshal was wrongly labeled a domestic terrorist and subjected to invasive monitoring 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 woman 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 only cleared after the FBI closed its case due to mistaken identity, Senate Homeland Security Chairman Rand Paul (R-Ky.) revealed in a press release.
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 acts of terrorism. 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 Gabbard publicly criticized Joe Biden and Kamala Harris.
Paul launched an investigation into Quiet Skies in 2024 after learning it was being abused to target dissidents of the Biden administration. His probe faced delays due to the administration’s refusal to share records, but documents were quickly released after the Trump administration took office. On June 5, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem terminated the program.
The report also revealed that three Republican lawmakers, at least two dozen Americans protesting mask mandates, and hundreds of individuals who traveled to Washington D.C. ahead of the January 6 protest were placed on TSA watch lists. Paul condemned the program as “an unconstitutional dystopian nightmare,” noting it cost $200 million annually without preventing a single terrorist attack.
At a Senate hearing titled “Examining the Weaponization of the Quiet Skies Program,” whistleblower Mark Crowder, a senior Federal Air Marshal, testified that his wife was falsely flagged as a domestic terrorist after attending a Trump rally. Despite knowing she could not have been near the Capitol due to her physical disability, Crowder reported the error to his supervisor, who instructed him to remain silent.
Christine Crowder endured invasive screenings, restricted airport access, and harassment for 13 months, with her family also subjected to distressing measures. Crowder criticized the TSA for diverting resources from genuine threats to target law-abiding citizens, calling the program a betrayal of post-9/11 promises.
