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“He’s the president. What he says matters,” Wolf said in an interview with CNN. “People listen to him – especially his supporters, I would say, really listen to him – so there is a responsibility there.”
“I was disappointed that the president did not speak out earlier on this. I think he had a role to play in doing so. I think unfortunately the administration has lost some of its value. moral on this issue by not coming out sooner. about it, ”he said Wednesday of Trump failing to quickly condemn the violence.
Wolf told CNN he would like to see more from the president to call for non-violent protests.
“[I]If you’re going to protest, you’re doing it in a very non-violent way. I’d like him to talk, say that and just that, “Wolf said.” And that was the message that brought the day.
Lawmakers and key aides had begged the president to issue such a statement while preparing for members of his own party to vote to impeach him.
Wolf, who joined those calls on Wednesday, said his decision to step down earlier than planned was in part due to the latest court case challenging his authority to head the Department of Homeland Security.
“While I was talking with the lawyers and we were talking with the Department of Justice and others, there was no, there was no light at the end of the tunnel, there was no way to really fight that, ”he said.
Wolf’s legitimacy has been a struggle for the department, which has had a leadership carousel under the Trump administration, and the issue threatened to derail policies and other actions put in place during his tenure.
Last Thursday, it was revealed that the White House had withdrawn Wolf’s formal appointment as secretary, raising concerns among DHS officials over whether Wolf could legally stay, according to a source familiar with the talks.
Since stepping down from his senior role, Wolf has stayed with the department to wrap up.
He told CNN on Wednesday that he wanted to leave the department in “the best possible hands.”
“I wanted to make sure they had an interim secretary who could make some decisions. Just in the last eight days there will be a lot of decisions to be made, whether internally or externally. I don’t. not wanted all of these decisions to be challenged, ”Wolf said.
Earlier this week, House Homeland Security Chairman Bennie Thompson, a Democrat from Mississippi, called the timing of Wolf’s resignation “questionable,” citing concerns about the legality of his appointment. Representative Jason Crow, a Democrat from Colorado who is a member of the Armed Services Committee, accused Wolf of “shirking” his responsibilities, but said the immediate question was about the widespread domestic terrorism event that was “born. last week”.
Wolf dismissed concerns that his departure so close to a major national event would have an impact on security, saying “this is an operational exercise for now.
“The acting secretary has very little role in this area other than setting policy, make sure other Cabinet agencies are doing their best, which they are. “
He said law enforcement was concerned about potential attacks on soft targets in the coming days, as authorities fortify downtown Washington for the inauguration.
“Individuals who want to be violent, who want to take matters into their own hands. They are looking for soft targets, they are not looking for hard targets. And so obviously the problem is that DC is tough, where are they going?” Wolf said, highlighting the massive security presence in the capital.
In one of his last acts as acting secretary, Wolf allowed the start date for the special national security event designation to be moved to January 13 from January 19. The designation, which places the US secret service as the main agency, allows a higher level of security and better coordination of law enforcement. The ministry wanted all law enforcement assets in place for the weekend and all authorized gatherings, he said.
Wolf said he was “very confident in the ability of law enforcement to make sure the inauguration is as safe and secure as it can be.”
On Tuesday, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, a Democrat from New York City, called on DHS to immediately add “insurgents” who stormed the Capitol to Transportation Security’s no-fly list. Administration. Schumer said he has spoken with FBI Director Christopher Wray twice in recent days.
Wolf, who was involved in the creation of TSA, pushed back against adding those involved in the riot to the no-fly list. “It’s a very slippery slope, when we talk about Americans it is a very slippery slope,” he said, arguing that those arrested for acts of violence during the protests this summer should also be added to the list.
He said adding people to the list is a “very serious problem” that should be carefully considered.
This story has been updated with additional details from the interview.
CNN’s Kaitlan Collins and Priscilla Alvarez contributed to this story.
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