
Following legal pressure from a conservative legal nonprofit, the Biden administration has opted to disband a contentious intelligence panel within the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).
The Homeland Intelligence Experts Group, announced by DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas in September, aimed to gather insights from private sector figures to inform government intelligence and national security strategies.
Critics, however, raised concerns over the panel’s neutrality, alleging partisan bias due to the involvement of individuals such as former Director of National Intelligence James Clapper and former CIA Director John Brennan. These concerns were exacerbated by the panel’s perceived dismissal of the veracity of the Hunter Biden laptop story.
America First Legal (AFL), representing itself and former acting Director of National Intelligence Richard Grenell, filed a lawsuit against DHS in November, alleging violations of the Federal Advisory Committee Act. The suit criticized the lack of political balance within the panel, as well as insufficient public notice and undue influence by the Biden administration.
/1🚨VICTORY🚨
The Biden Admin will dissolve & disband its unlawful DHS Intelligence Experts Group stacked with deep state partisans like James Clapper and John Brennan following our lawsuit with @RichardGrenell
They are also turning over their internal docs to our possession: pic.twitter.com/vFK3uSszbF
— America First Legal (@America1stLegal) May 3, 2024
In response to the legal challenge, DHS agreed to disband the panel and refrain from reconstituting it in a manner inconsistent with federal regulations. Additionally, DHS committed to providing meeting agendas and minutes with participant identities redacted, within fifteen days of the court order.
Conservative plaintiffs, including Stephen Miller, President of America First Legal, hailed the agreement as a victory for accountability and transparency. Miller commended Grenell’s role in challenging what he described as partisan intelligence practices.
On Friday, we beat Clapper, Brennan, Mayorkas, Biden and the Deep State. https://t.co/qatsRq5UwU
— Stephen Miller (@StephenM) May 6, 2024
Former acting Director of National Intelligence Richard Grenell emphasized the significance of DHS’s decision, asserting that it vindicated the legal arguments put forth by America First Legal. Grenell characterized the disbandment as a concession by DHS, acknowledging legal wrongdoing by the Biden administration.