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Homeland nominee has priorities wrong

Ask most people what they believe is top priority at the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, and they are likely to say battling terrorists.

That isn’t how President Barack Obama’s nominee to head the agency sees it. Counterterrorism work is third on his priority list.

Jeh Johnson, nominated to head the department, was asked about his priorities last week during testimony to a Senate committee.

His first priority is handling what he calls “a leadership vacuum” within the DHS, he said.

Second is improving the morale of DHS employees.

Third on Johnson’s list is protecting Americans against terrorists.

Incredible. Simply incredible.

But it gets worse. During the hearing, Sen. Tom Coburn, R-Okla., pointed out that Johnson’s answers to a 23-page questionnaire submitted to the committee were, word for word, exactly the same as some other Obama nominees have submitted to the Senate.

In other words, someone in the Obama administration made up the answers – several times.

Senators of both parties should be disgusted enough to reject Johnson’s nomination. Clearly, neither he nor his boss understand the job.

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