Senator Rand Paul (R-KY) revealed this week that federal air marshals conducted surveillance on Tulsi Gabbard, now serving as the Director of National Intelligence, during her domestic flights in 2024. The claim came during a Capitol Hill hearing on Tuesday where Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Kristi Noem testified about the agency’s fiscal year 2026 budget request.
Senator Paul stated that his office had reviewed documents confirming Gabbard’s placement on the Transportation Security Administration’s (TSA) Quiet Skies watch list. This program, established in 2010, enables the Federal Air Marshal Service (FAMS) to monitor passengers based on various factors including travel patterns, possible links to terrorism, and, under prior administrations, political activity.
According to Paul, the newly obtained records confirm that air marshals observed Gabbard during her travels, collecting information that included descriptions of her appearance and noting the number of electronic devices she was carrying.
“These documents confirm our suspicions,” Paul said during the hearing. “Federal air marshals surveilled the now-director of national intelligence during domestic flights in 2024, reporting back information related to her appearance and even how many electronics she was observed using. Unfortunately, this is not an isolated case.”
Tulsi Gabbard previously raised concerns about being surveilled by air marshals during her confirmation process. In a November 2024 interview with Fox News, she recounted facing increased scrutiny at airport checkpoints and observing air marshals and security dogs during her travel. Gabbard described the experience as unsettling and said it left a lasting impact.
“There were things that I saw and noticed that were highly unusual,” Gabbard said. “Forever going forward, I will always be looking over my shoulder, wondering if and how my government is surveilling me.”
The TSA oversees the Federal Air Marshal Service, which employs over 4,000 agents. The Quiet Skies program has drawn criticism in the past for its surveillance practices. While the program was originally developed as a counter-terrorism measure, critics say it has been used in ways that extend beyond that mandate.
During the hearing, Senator Paul also pressed Secretary Noem on whether her department had uncovered any internal documents tied to censorship activities under the Biden administration. Noem responded that the department had found “thousands of documents” suggesting involvement in monitoring and controlling speech.
“We will be unveiling these to this committee and making sure we’re exposing what CISA was doing with a vast majority of its time of certain employees,” Noem stated, referring to the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, which, along with the TSA, operates under DHS.
Noem suggested that CISA staff had been engaged in activities not aligned with the agency’s core mission, adding that staff reductions may reflect efforts to realign its focus.
The surveillance activities revealed during the hearing follow earlier concerns voiced by Sonya LaBosco, director of the Air Marshal National Council. In 2023, LaBosco said that air marshals had been directed to track individuals who traveled to Washington, D.C., around the time of the January 6, 2021, Capitol protests.
According to LaBosco, surveillance targets did not have to attend the protests or be involved in any crimes to be placed on the list. “We’re not doing our regular missions where we’re out there looking for the bad guys,” she said. “Right now, on most flights, you’re not gonna have air marshals.”
Records reveal that federal air marshals surveilled Director of National Intelligence @TulsiGabbard during domestic flights in 2024. She shares the wild details with us: pic.twitter.com/KzLqtOAJRI
— Laura Ingraham (@IngrahamAngle) May 20, 2025
The TSA has not yet issued a public response to the documents referenced by Senator Paul or the surveillance of Gabbard. DHS has also not provided additional comments beyond Secretary Noem’s remarks during the hearing.
