Chad Wolf
Chad Fredrick Wolf (born June 21, 1976) is an American former government official and lobbyist who was named the acting United States secretary of homeland security in November 2019. His appointment was ruled unlawful in November 2020. Wolf was also the under secretary of homeland security for strategy, policy, and plans from 2019 to 2021.
Chad Wolf | |
|---|---|
Official portrait, 2017 | |
| Acting United States Secretary of Homeland Security | |
De facto, unlawful | |
| In office November 13, 2019 – January 11, 2021 | |
| President | Donald Trump |
| Deputy | Ken Cuccinelli (acting) |
| Preceded by | Kevin McAleenan (acting) |
| Succeeded by | Pete Gaynor (acting) |
| Under Secretary of Homeland Security for Strategy, Policy, and Plans | |
| In office November 13, 2019 – January 20, 2021 Acting: February 8, 2019 – November 13, 2019 | |
| President | Donald Trump |
| Preceded by | James D. Nealon (acting) |
| Succeeded by | Robert P. Silvers |
| Assistant Secretary of Homeland Security for Strategy, Plans, Analysis, and Risk | |
| In office February 8, 2019 – November 13, 2019 | |
| President | Donald Trump |
| Preceded by | Brodi Kotila |
| Succeeded by | Position abolished |
| Chief of Staff to the United States Secretary of Homeland Security | |
| In office July 31, 2017 – February 8, 2019 | |
| Secretary | Kirstjen Nielsen |
| Preceded by | Kirstjen Nielsen |
| Succeeded by | Miles Taylor |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Chad Fredrick Wolf June 21, 1976 Jackson, Mississippi, U.S. |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse | Hope Wolf |
| Children | 2 |
| Education | Collin College Southern Methodist University (BA) Villanova University (GrCert) |
A member of the Republican Party, Wolf previously served in several positions in the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), including as chief of staff of the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) and chief of staff to DHS secretary Kirstjen Nielsen. From 2005 to 2016, he was a lobbyist, helping clients secure contracts from TSA. Wolf was an architect of the Trump administration family separation policy in 2018, and was prominently involved in the deployment of federal law enforcement forces in Portland and elsewhere beginning in July 2020.
In September 2020, a whistleblower accused him of having ordered staff to stop reporting on threats from Russia. In November 2020, District Judge Nicholas Garaufis ruled Wolf's appointment unlawful, and overturned a set of Wolf's orders as "not an exercise of legal authority". Wolf resigned his post on January 11, 2021, after a number of similar court rulings.