<font size=3D2 face=3Darial>You have been sent this message from= David Ross<br>(damiross2@attbi=2Ecom) as a courtesy of= WorldNetDaily=2Ecom (<a= href=3D"http://www=2Eworldnetdaily=2Ecom";>http://www=2Eworldnetdaily=2Ecom= </a>)=2E<br><br><br><br>To view the entire article, visit <a= href=3D"http://www=2Eworldnetdaily=2Ecom/news/article=2Easp?ARTICLE_ID=3D2= 8458">http://www=2Eworldnetdaily=2Ecom/news/article=2Easp?ARTICLE_ID=3D28= 458</a><br><br>Wednesday, July 31,= 2002<br>--------------------------------------------------------= ----------<br>Transportation honcho relieved of personnel-security duties <br>By Paul= Sperry<br>------------------------------------------------------= ------------<br><br><font size=3D1>Posted: July 31, 2002<br>1:00= a=2Em=2E Eastern<br><br></font>WASHINGTON =96 In response to public= criticism, and a sign of more chaos at a key agency in charge of= protecting airline passengers from future terrorism, the= Transportation Department has relieved a top official with a= checkered record in federal security of a critical assignment= investigating the backgrounds of new federal airport guards=2E <p><a href=3D"/news/article=2Easp?ARTICLE_ID=3D27366">WorldNetDaily= first reported April 24</a> that the official =96 K=2E David Holmes= Jr=2E =96 had a reputation for "rubberstamping" applicants for key= jobs, some demanding Top Secret clearance, as Commerce= Department security chief during the Clinton administration=2E <p>His aviation-security duties at Transportation were reassigned= in May, sources say=2E <p>Holmes became the Transportation Security Administration's= associate undersecretary for inspection in February =96 upon the= recommendation of Transportation Secretary Norman Mineta=2E Holmes doubled as= Mineta's bodyguard at Commerce, when Mineta, a Clinton= appointee, headed that agency=2E <p>Holmes, who formerly headed Vice President Al Gore's= protective detail, was hired by former TSA chief John Magaw,= also a Secret Service veteran=2E Magaw reportedly was fired= earlier this month after a series of highly publicized <a= href=3D"/news/article=2Easp?ARTICLE_ID=3D27406">security-policy= blunders, blown deadlines and cost overruns=2E</a> <p>Holmes' responsibilities included vetting airport checkpoint= screeners and conducting internal-affairs investigations=2E He's= now in charge of internal affairs only, sources say=2E <p>"Holmes was relieved of personnel-security duties," an= official told WorldNetDaily=2E <p>TSA's human resources office is now supervising background= checks of airport-security personnel, who by law must all now be= U=2ES=2E citizens with no criminal records, according to sources=2E <p>"That was moved to HR the end of May," confirmed an official= in TSA's office of inspection=2E <p>Security officials who worked with Holmes at Commerce say he= was lax in vetting employees, at times approving applicants even= when background investigations turned up criminal records=2E Other= times, they charge, he would waive background checks= altogether=2E <p>"Holmes broke all the rules about investigations and vetting= at Commerce," said one official=2E "He would bring on Schedule C= appointees, political appointees, gophers, strap-hangers and= entourages without any investigations at all, and give them= access to classified information=2E" <p>Holmes was hired by former Commerce Secretary William Daley,= who later became Gore's presidential campaign manager, to plug= security holes left after the John Huang Chinagate scandal=2E <p>But he made little progress and was called to task by the= department's inspector general, a confidential internal document= obtained by WorldNetDaily reveals=2E <p>Last year, moreover, lawyers for the House Government Reform= Committee questioned him in closed session about the chronic= security lapses, WorldNetDaily has learned=2E <p>In 1999, Holmes, who's black, shocked Commerce security= officials when he <a= href=3D"/news/article=2Easp?ARTICLE_ID=3D28374">sanitized a Y2K= counterterrorism report distributed to the Census Bureau by= removing Islamic threats=2E</a> Only threats from white= "right-wing" groups were included in the report=2E <p>It turned out, however, that the only substantive millennium= threat came from an Islamic terrorist who was caught at the= Canadian border with explosives=2E The so-called "right-wing= militia nuts" were relatively quiet=2E <p>Previous stories: <p><a href=3D"/news/article=2Easp?ARTICLE_ID=3D28374">TSA honcho nixed= Islamic threats from Y2K terror report</a> <p><a href=3D"/news/article=2Easp?ARTICLE_ID=3D27366">New airport= guards will have easy boss at TSA</a> <p><a href=3D"/news/article=2Easp?ARTICLE_ID=3D27406">Agents to Mineta:= Rethink airport-security plan</a> <P>=A9 2002 </P><br><hr noshade size=3D"1" width=3D"16%= "><br><P><i><a href=3D"mailto:psperry@worldnetdaily=2Ecom";>Paul= Sperry</a> is Washington bureau chief for= WorldNetDaily=2E</i></p><br><br>----------------------------------= --------------------------------