Tucson Police Chief Chris Magnus won’t be leaving for Washington, D.C., just yet, as his confirmation hearing to head Customs and Border Protection has been delayed, according to The Washington Post.
Magnus couldn’t comment on the reported delay, saying Thursday that he has been asked to not discuss the process.
The Washington Post reported Thursday that Oregon Sen. Ron Wyden is stalling the confirmation hearing until the Departments of Homeland Security and Justice answer questions about federal agents that were deployed to Portland by then-President Donald Trump.
Wyden, who congratulated Magnus in April after his nomination, serves as chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, which oversees the confirmation process for CBP.
“Six months into the new administration, the Departments of Homeland Security and Justice have failed to answer basic questions about how the Trump administration misused federal resources to stoke violence against peaceful protestors in my hometown,” Wyden said in a statement. “While it is clear that Customs and Border Protection faces pressing issues, as the senior senator from Oregon, I am unable to advance this nominee until DHS and DOJ give Oregonians some straight answers about what they were up to in Portland last year, and who was responsible.”
In 2020, the Trump administration sent hundreds of DHS officers and U.S. Marshals to Portland, in response to demonstrations over the killing of Black people by police.
DHS and DOJ officials said Wednesday they were working with Wyden, according to The Washington Post.
In April, Magnus called the appointment “the honor of a lifetime,” saying it’s not something he expected, “but it’s something I’m very excited about.”
