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Former DHS Secretary Janet Napolitano reacts to Biden's cabinet picks

By
Published  December 11, 2020 6:06pm PST
Joe Biden
KTVU FOX 2

Former DHS Secretary Janet Napolitano reacts to Biden’s cabinet picks

Greg Lee reports.

BERKELEY, Calif. - Former Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, Janet Napolitano, says President-elect Joe Biden’s cabinet picks so far, are “an impressive group.” Napolitano served under President Obama from 2009-2013.  As different groups press Biden for diversity in ethnicity, ideology and gender—Napolitano’s opinion is he’s delivering so far. “First woman secretary of treasury, first African-American secretary of defense, the first Latino secretary of homeland security: that’s a pretty good list!”

This week, Biden nominated retired four-star Army general Lloyd Austin for secretary of defense. If confirmed, he would be the first Black leader of the Pentagon. “I come to this new role as a civilian leader – with military experience to be sure – but also with a deep appreciation and reverence for the prevailing wisdom of civilian control of our military,” said Gen. Austin after he was announced.

Austin’s selection is drawing concern from some Democrats. The Department of Defense is meant to be led by a civilian or a servicemember who has been retired for at least 7 years.  Austin retired just four years ago. Napolitano says the issue should be explored during confirmation. “The Department of Defense is set up for civilian oversight, and leadership,” said Napolitano. “He’s been out of active duty service four years. Mattis also required a waiver.”

Napolitano was the first woman to serve as Secretary of Homeland Security. She has this advice for the other trailblazing women poised to join the administration. “Do everything as well as it can be done. To be measured by performance and excellence of performance.”

As for advice for Alejandro Mayorkas, the nominee for her old post, she says put together a good team and strive for stability. “The Trump administration, I think they’re on their fifth or sixth secretary of DHS, and a lot of the component heads have been ‘actings’, or ‘interims’, of person serving in the capacity of, etc.,” said Napolitano.  “Kind of floating in and floating out, there’s been no stability in leadership, the department requires that.”

After stepping down from her role as president of the UC system in August, Napolitano joined UC Berkeley’s Goldman School of Public Policy.  Next year, she is launching the “Center for the Study of Security in Politics” at Berkeley. “With policy makers, political practitioners, to talk about not only today’s problems, but the problems to be, and to see if we can be more proactive.”