About two weeks ago, I reported that Maureen McCarthy, a senior DHS official, had set off some alarms for bringing a suspicious package into work on the direction of DHS security officials. The package held a dead fish and white powder. It was later revealed that there was no hazard, but what if there had been? The fact that Ms. McCarthy was a DHS WMD expert was not in her favor here. Global Security Newswire provides an update on her case.
A senior U.S. Homeland Security Department intelligence official has been placed on administrative leave after an incident in which a dead fish and white powder were brought to department offices in Washington this month, according to two sources (see GSN, Feb. 10).
Administrative action has been taken against Maureen McCarthy, a senior adviser for weapons of mass destruction intelligence programs at the department, as a result of the incident, which sparked a security scare, the source said.
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When contacted late Tuesday, Roberts said McCarthy is employed by the department but would not confirm whether she has been placed on administrative leave. "We're following the procedures within DHS about this particular situation," he said.
McCarthy, a holdover from the Bush administration, is one of a number of officials who agency insiders say remains at the agency in positions created for them.
Administrative action has been taken against Maureen McCarthy, a senior adviser for weapons of mass destruction intelligence programs at the department, as a result of the incident, which sparked a security scare, the source said.
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When contacted late Tuesday, Roberts said McCarthy is employed by the department but would not confirm whether she has been placed on administrative leave. "We're following the procedures within DHS about this particular situation," he said.
McCarthy, a holdover from the Bush administration, is one of a number of officials who agency insiders say remains at the agency in positions created for them.
She is contesting the administrative action, so don't send in your resumes to DHS yet. Just thought you might be interested in this very strange case.
Oh, well. "Expert" is not a quantifiable claim. It's not like there's an American Academy of Experts that sets standards for expertise. It's rather like being a "consultant." Anyone can be a consultant. The only requisite skill is your ability to convince people to pay you for your consultation. How much is a consultant worth? Precisely how much he can convince people to pay him; no more, no less. What position is an expert qualified to hold? Whatever job she can bullshit her way into.
More power to her, I say. DHS is chock full of such experts. They're going to have a hard time finding anyone in that department who are in any position to pass judgment on either her expertise or her ethics.
Posted by: James | 26 February 2009 at 10:31 AM