DHS Hunts Down 67-Year-Old U.S. Citizen Who Criticized Them in Email

[erronis]

https://newrepublic.com/post/206088/homeland-security-67-year-old-us-citizen-criticized-email

The Department of Homeland Security is using a little-known tool to go after its critics.

The Trump administration is targeting free speech with a little-known legal tool: administrative subpoenas.

The Washington Post reports that a retired Philadelphia man, Jon, 67, found himself in the government's crosshairs after he emailed a lead prosecutor at the Department of Homeland Security, Joseph Dernbach, who was handling the deportation case of an Afghan refugee, identified as H, asking him to consider that the man's life was in danger from the Taliban.

"Mr. Dernbach, don't play Russian roulette with H's life," Jon wrote from his gmail account. "Err on the side of caution. There's a reason the US government along with many other governments don't recognise the Taliban. Apply principles of common sense and decency."

Later that day, Jon received an email from Google notifying him that an administrative subpoena had been sent to them from the Department of Homeland Security "compelling the release of information related to your Google Account." Federal agencies can issue such subpoenas without an order from a judge or grand jury, and Google gave Jon, who withheld his last name to protect his family from the government, one week to challenge it.

Laws are supposed to restrict the use of administrative subpoenas, but DHS has used the tool against dissent protected under the First Amendment to the Constitution. Jon could not find who in the agency issued the subpoena, let alone a record of it to show an attorney.

. . .

[Lovie777]

1. Freedom of speech.............

[Javaman]

17. Only for the wealthy sycophants .nt

[dalton99a]

2. Kick

[GiqueCee]

3. The myriad tentacles...

... of an out-of-control Department of Homeland Security are doing nothing to fulfill its original purpose. Instead, it has become a malicious tool for the most evil creature ever to defile the Oval Office so he can wreak vengeance on any and all who might thwart his vindictive desires. And Republicans are fine with it. So, too, is the most corrupt SCOTUS majority in living memory under the most corrupt Chief Justice that has ever held that office. And, given the history of the Court's rule under conservative Justices, that's saying something.

[Escurumbele]

4. DU pages have new ads that make the page one is reading jump, and one loses it place in the article.

I do understand that DU has to make some money to survive, and hopefully beyond that but, it would be nice if the ads do not interfere with one's reading.

Maybe its just me, not sure if anyone else is having these issues?

[erronis]

5. I don't see these issues. I am a star member and I also have a ton of blockers in Firefox.

[Cha]

7. All you have to do is

get a Star.. it helps Support DU, And there are NO Ads.

[popsdenver]

9. No kidding

of course they offer you the choice of a paid subscription/donation....to getting rid of that "new" ad that pops up......

Cute.....something I never expected out of DU.........

[kerry-is-my-prez]

13. I think that it costs them a good amount of money doing this.

As a former web designer/Search Engine Specialist, I know it costs a lot of money to design a website and to have engineers to keep it running. You get charged a monthly fee by your internet provider. In my opinion, this is the best forum design of any forum I’ve seen so they probably have to hire some good computer people.

[stillspkg]

12. Signed in?

No ads

[Joinfortmill]

6. They have no case. They're harrassing him.

Hope someone starts a GoFundMe if he needs one.

[peppertree]

8. Idi Amin called. He wants his banana republic back.

[wolfie001]

10. This is exactly what one would expect from a Nazi government.....

.....run by a diaper-wearing fat orange imbecile.

[erronis]

15. Did Hitler also wear diapers?

Actually, other than his pathological megalomania and psychoses, Hitler was reported to be almost human. Unlike this cretin.

[Scrivener7]

11. Whoever hunted him down over a letter should face charges.

[Jack Valentino]

14. ..... but I'm only 63, not 67...... ?

WHOOPS, nevermind, say that you never saw this post!

[Jack Valentino]

16. OK, I never sent any such letters or emails, BUT---- if they

could prosecute me for all the letters and emails which
I have been composing ONLY in my mind (oh, and phone calls on burner phones, too)---

((Hello 'THOUGHT POLICE"!))

I would be arrested, drawn and quartered!

While they did that, I would be screaming my regrets
about Crooks bad luck and/or failures in marksmanship!