Imagine serving your country in Congress and wartime, only to be branded a potential terrorist by your own government. That's the shocking reality for Tulsi Gabbard, as highlighted by podcast giant Joe Rogan on his widely followed show, "The Joe Rogan Experience."
The Daily Caller reported that Joe Rogan tore into the Biden administration for allegedly placing Gabbard, a former U.S. congresswoman, on a suspected terrorist watchlist, with whistleblowers revealing in 2024 that she was targeted under the TSA’s "Quiet Skies" program.
This program, reportedly expanded after the January 6, 2021, Capitol protests to monitor certain individuals, was previously shut down under President Donald Trump’s administration.
Yet, under the current leadership, it seems to have been revived with a questionable focus. How does a decorated veteran and long-serving public official end up in such a net?
Gabbard, who represented Hawaii in Congress for eight years, isn’t just a politician but a veteran with two wartime deployments in a medical unit.
Her service record alone should raise eyebrows about why she’d be flagged for surveillance by the Transportation Security Administration and Federal Air Marshals. It’s hard to fathom a justification that doesn’t smell of political targeting.
Whistleblowers exposed in 2024 that Gabbard was under the "Quiet Skies" program, a system meant for security threats, not dissenting voices. The idea that a former congresswoman could be treated like a national risk without clear evidence is a chilling precedent. It’s not just oversight; it’s overreach.
Rogan didn’t hold back on his podcast, calling out this move as a gross misuse of authority. “Whoever did that — whoever signed off on that — should be in fucking jail.
That’s such an abuse of power,” he declared on "The Joe Rogan Experience." Well, when you see a system weaponized against someone with Gabbard’s credentials, it’s hard to disagree with that raw frustration.
Gabbard herself shared the invasive reality of this surveillance with Racket News, describing how every flight turned into a grueling ordeal. “It happened every time I boarded,” she said. That’s not random security; that’s a deliberate pattern.
She detailed the humiliating extent of these searches, which lasted up to 45 minutes. “I’ve got a couple of blazers in there, and they’re squeezing every inch of the entire collar, every inch of the sleeves,” Gabbard recounted to Racket News. If this isn’t an abuse of bureaucratic muscle, what is?
Think about it: underwear, workout gear, every personal item pawed through repeatedly. For a woman who’s served both in Congress and on the battlefield, this treatment feels less like protocol and more like punishment. Where’s the accountability for such invasive tactics?
The "Quiet Skies" program’s history adds another layer of suspicion, as it ballooned post-January 6 to track Capitol protesters, per journalist Matt Taibbi’s reporting.
While security concerns are valid, casting a net so wide that it snares a former lawmaker with no evident threat is a stretch. It’s a slippery slope to silencing dissent under the guise of safety.
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem echoed this concern, stating, “It is clear that the Quiet Skies program was used as a political rolodex of the Biden Administration—weaponized against its political foes.” That’s a damning assessment from someone in the know. If true, it’s not just policy gone awry; it’s a betrayal of trust.
Rogan’s outrage resonates with many who see this as a textbook case of targeting political enemies. How does a government justify treating a veteran and public servant like a suspect without transparent reasoning? It’s the kind of move you’d expect in a regime, not a republic.
The lack of a stated reason for Gabbard’s placement on this watchlist is perhaps the most troubling aspect. If there’s no evidence, no radical behavior, no tweets or actions to point to, then what’s the basis? This isn’t just about one person; it’s about the precedent it sets for anyone who dares to challenge the status quo.
For conservatives, this story fuels a broader concern about government overreach and the erosion of individual rights under progressive policies. Yet, even those on the other side of the aisle should pause at the idea of surveillance without cause. Freedom isn’t partisan—it’s foundational.
