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Biden admin put some Americans who resisted mask mandates or were involved in Jan 6 on severe no-fly list: TSA

The Biden administration placed 19 Americans on TSA watchlists for mask resistance and Jan 6 involvement, with over half on the no-fly list, despite internal warnings against political targeting.

  • On Tuesday, the Department of Homeland Security said the Biden administration weaponized the Transportation Security Administration to place Americans who resisted mask mandates and those linked to Jan. 6 on no-fly lists despite no evidence of threats.
  • Operation Freedom to Breathe, launched in September 2021, targeted Americans who defied mask mandates and placed 19 people on intensive TSA watchlists between Sept. 30 and Oct. 25, 2021.
  • Internal documents show roughly 280 Americans tied to Jan. 6 were placed on federal watchlists, including five on the no-fly list; misidentifications involved a National Guardsman deployed for Biden's Jan. 20, 2021 inauguration and the wife of a federal air marshal.
  • TSA privacy officials warned the practice `is clearly unrelated to transportation security` and Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said DHS referred the matter to DOJ and Congress, removing senior TSA leaders, while David Pekoske resigned on Jan. 20, 2025.
  • TSA sources say the effort was historically expansive, describing the most extensive no-fly list use against U.S. citizens, with many flagged posing no legitimate threat yet delayed or tracked by Federal Air Marshals.
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WGXA broke the news in on Tuesday, September 30, 2025.
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