(The Hill) – President Trump announced Thursday that he has picked Fox News contributor Mark Levin, South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster (R) and other conservative allies to serve on a “revamped” Homeland Security Advisory Council (HSAC).
“Under Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem’s leadership, HSAC will work hard on developing new Policies and Strategies that will help us secure our Border, deport Illegal Criminal Thugs, stop the flow of Fentanyl and other illegal drugs that are killing our Citizens, and MAKE AMERICA SAFE AGAIN,” Trump wrote in a post on Truth Social, saying the HSAC “is comprised of Top Experts in their field, who are highly respected by their peers.”
Trump didn’t elaborate on how the group will be “revamped” from its past iterations dating back to former President George W. Bush’s administration. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) didn’t immediately respond to The Hill’s request for comment.
Levin, the host of Fox News’s “Life, Liberty & Levin,” responded to the news in a post on the social platform X: “What an honor! Thank you, Mr. President!”
Trump has also tapped former New York Police Department detective Bo Dietl and Florida state Sen. Joseph Gruters (R), an officer of the Republican National Committee, for his overhauled panel, the president said.
Gruters, who is running to become Florida’s chief financial officer next year with Trump’s support, is among the president’s closest political allies in the Sunshine State, where he served as a state co-chair of Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign. Trump soundly won the GOP primary race in 2016 and carried Florida in the general election.
The Biden administration leaned heavily on leaders in the private sector and law enforcement groups for its HSAC. Under then-Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, the panel drafted advisory reports on combating child exploitation and creating “next generation work environment” for the thousands of DHS employees, among other topics.
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