February 20, 2012, - 6:06 pm

EXCLUSIVE: Obama ICE Chief Ignores Agent-Shootings; In NYC Job-Seeking @ NBC, Viacom, to LA for Oscars (on Your Dime)

By Debbie Schlussel

Question:  Why is Barack Obama’s top immigration cop blowing off the internecine shooting of a top agent and the death of another?

Answer:  He’s busy using your tax dollars to fly to New York in his job search, meeting with top officials of NBC Universal and Viacom, trying to land a position as an entertainment lawyer.  Yup, you are paying for his post-Obama job quest, complete with a posse of bodyguards and top ICE staff, all of whom are aware of the job quest.

alfredenewman2.jpg

alfrednewman6.jpg

John E. Moron: What Me Worry About ICE Agent Shooting?

John Morton, Barack Obama’s hand-picked Assistant Secretary of Homeland Security for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is blowing off the biggest tragedy in his agency’s history–the shooting death of one agent, after he shot a top fellow LA agent.  The Los Angeles office of his agency is burning and the offices around the country are in simmer mode.  But John Morton can’t be bothered.  Instead, DebbieSchlussel.com has learned that Morton is headed to New York City, where tomorrow, he will be spending your money and resources meeting with officials of two major media companies with whom he’s seeking a position and a $2 million annual salary. Rome is burning, but he’s more concerned with his own personal irons in a different fire.

On Friday, we told you about the shooting death of Ezequiel “Zeke” Garcia, an ICE Senior Supervisory Agent and Group Supervisor, after he shot his boss, Deputy ICE Special Agent in Charge for Los Angeles, Kevin Kozak.  It made news around the world and has caused a deeper rift within a failing agency already ripped apart by bad management, hamstrung agents not allowed to arrest illegal aliens, and an Obama policy urging illegal aliens to report ICE agents.  Morton, the Director of ICE, quickly flew in and out of Los Angeles because he has job interviews to go to. Tomorrow, Morton is meeting for lunch with Richard “Rick” Cotton, General Counsel and Executive Vice President of NBC Universal.  And, after lunch, Morton will dine with Michael Fricklas, Executive Vice President, General Counsel, and Secretary with Viacom, again seeking a job.  Sources say that Morton has already flown to New York City, on your dime, to meet with Rick Cotton on four previous occasions, but still hasn’t gotten the job.  That’s why the inept ICE “leader” hasn’t yet resigned as he was expected to do at year’s end.


To make it look “legit,” Morton is also flying a complete entourage of other ICE officials, including Suzie “Stripper Pole” Barr, Beth Gibson, Gary Meade, and Andrew Strait, to New York with him, along with his two ICE agent bodyguards and a chauffeur.  And he’s inserted into the schedule a town hall and a meeting with some deportation officials.  But the real purpose is the job interviews.  FYI, Mr. Strait is the “advocate,” a position created for him by Morton to “advocate” for illegal aliens arrested by ICE agents, who’ve called an 800 number created for illegal aliens to attack the agente who do their jobs.

But, don’t worry, he’s expected back in LA next week–to attend the Academy Awards, not to investigate why a career agent snapped and shot his boss.  ICE sources tell DebbieSchlussel.com that Morton has made 20 trips to Los Angeles since he’s headed the agency, most of them to try to curry favor with Hollywood bigwigs in his quest for a position as a high-paid legal beagle or exec with an entertainment company.  The sources also confirm that Morton accepted free tickets to the Emmy Awards, the Grammy Awards, as well as other major entertainment shows.  Accepting such coveted, expensive tickets for free, as Morton has for the Super Bowl among other such events, is improper and not allowed under strict ICE policies prohibiting personnel from accepting so much as a free meal.  But Morton is above the rules, apparently.  At least, in his own mind. And, in exchange, he steps up the tradition of turning ICE agents into the publicly-funded copyright police of NFL and Hollywood billionaires.

Morton has assigned himself two career ICE agents to be his full-time bodyguards.  That’s in addition to an agent who acts as his permanent chauffeur.  This entourage, which accompanies him everywhere including to his job interviews tomorrow, costs America $50,000 per month.  Morton ordered them to wear phony earpieces to impress those in attendance at a law school reunion.  The chauffeur and the bodyguards have also been seen ferrying Morton’s girlfriend, not a government employee, around for easy booty call access.  Even Morton’s high-flying predecessor, Julie L. Myers a/k/a “The ICE Queen,” did not feel the need to have  bodyguards.  And what’s the threat on his life?  Morton has forbidden ICE agents from arresting illegal aliens and provided a toll-free number and “advocate” to help the few who are arrested.  Illegal aliens love him.  However, I’ve heard that he faces imminent attack from a Debbie Schlusseldead sarcophagus he might deport to Egypt.  That, FYI, is virtually the only deportation he’s doing these days.

Yes, a career ICE agent is dead after shooting and nearly killing a top Los Angeles ICE official.  And John Morton can’t be bothered to be in Los Angeles for that.

He has an entertainment job interview to go to.  And the Oscars.  Give the man an Academy Award for playing the head of Homeland Security’s largest law enforcement agency.

After all, he’s just acting.




Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,


45 Responses

ICE’s head is a scumbag? No!

Occam's Tool on February 20, 2012 at 6:09 pm

    Instead of listening to one moron, who clearly has been misinformed, you people need to do your own investigation. When does asking an employee to do their job give the employee to shoot their boss? Where’s the rational?

    LG on February 22, 2012 at 8:24 pm

This friggen’ clown should go to McDonalds for a job. They’re always looking for a new Ronald McDonald at Maccas.

Since he will be big-noting all over the country you can be sure he will have his skank in tow. Why waste all those opportunities to show what a sexy dud-root this fool is?

He is like a junior Eric Holder and “Chaz” Napolitan combined. I hope the entertainment industries fail to hire him. What a freak. He looks and acts like he must have lots of smoke and mirrors in his stupid life and he looks like a dud-root in all realms of it. Who does he think he’s kidding?

Skunky on February 20, 2012 at 7:41 pm

This is a preview of what these clowns will do when they get full control of healthcare.

Little Al on February 20, 2012 at 7:54 pm

Actually, Skunky, being an official Ronald McDonald is a well-paying job (100k+) and requires rigorous background and psychological testing. The jackass Moron Morton would never qualify.

DS_ROCKS! on February 20, 2012 at 8:07 pm

Good work on this story Debbie. I hope this guy gets NO job. Complete scumbag.

adam on February 20, 2012 at 9:59 pm

Present day America,most CEO’s at most entertainment companies don t have any scruples or ethics guidelines as we have seen,in this case of this Moron guy he will be hired based on how much of a political clout he has, as far as he traveling on our dime…hum!! all he has to do is squeeze in a visit to a detention center and he ll be out of the woods,not tha he ever was in any problem….Skunky!!!! I do like Ronald Mc Donald.

Juan on February 20, 2012 at 11:36 pm

Maybe Morton will take EVS and Priceless with him to Hollywood. EVS can be a fluffer and Priceless can be a bestboy…woo hoo!!!

notanEVSfan on February 21, 2012 at 12:38 am

Deb,

Was Morton even allowed to see Kevin?

Old School

Old School on February 21, 2012 at 1:16 am

Morton should RESIGN Immediately if he was a decent man, but he’s not. You don’t have to be a genius to realize what the state of affairs is at ICE when agents are shooting at each other. The level of frustration and discontent is so high due to the lack of and incompetent leadership of Morton and his cronies.

Him and his minions have run this agency to the ground. Morton and his smoke and mirrors will not last forever the house of cards will fall and I hope this is the result and the beginning. This will only get worse until the Agency is rid of him and his cronies.

Morale at ICE is at it’s all time low since 2003 when the agency was created. Good working agents are fed-up with Morton and how he’s running this agency, a vote of no confidence was issue by the Union two years ago and I’m sure we continue to stand by those findings.

ICE is just his private travel agency and stepping stone to a private sector job. Morton and his cronies are arranging trips to Europe and around the world, setting-up meaningless meeting so that he can travel around the world on this drinking binges with his buddies with door-to-door pick-up and drop off. Most counterparts don’t even respect him, they know he’s not a cop.

How many more agents have to suffer and die before anyone in this administration and the public realize what this man and his cronies are doing to this agency. Talk about fraud, waste and abuse. Why isn’t the OIG investigating??

This agent’s death should be a rallying call to the Union and all the hard working agents and enforcement officers out there to petition the ouster of Morton and his cronies from the front office. How many more of his drinking buddies will he promote into SES positions before someone realize they are not qualified.

Morale is at its lowest since 2003, more agents have quit, resigned and killed under Morton then any other administrator. The agency is ranked at the bottom quarter of a survey as one of the worst agency to work in.

This WILL BE Morton’s legacy. One of the worse ICE Administrator in this agency’s short history.

Please find this man an industry job so that he can leave this agency!

Sober on February 21, 2012 at 3:46 am

he kinda looks like comedian jim brewer… but not as funny.

KIRCHE on February 21, 2012 at 8:25 am

I suspect that Mr. Morton is not exactly thrilling his potential employers if he has not sealed a deal at this point. NBC Universal/Viacom may not think that Mr. Morton is much of an asset, despite his ties to the Obama Administration. Who wants a third tier appointee with so much baggage for a two million dollar job? Mr. Morton might be facing a situation where NBC Universal/Viacom are just stringing him along until he finally gets tired of groveling. An outright rejection would be sure to displease the Obama Administration.

Worry01 on February 21, 2012 at 8:39 am

Kozack is getting lots of love from his people huh? Let’s se you give your life to a group of Federal Agencies and guess what? You get hurt and then they forget you like you never were there.

Kozack will be forgotten. Like trash he will be put to the curb. His life is fucked up forever. His injuries will take years off his life. His knee and hand are hamburger and he will hurt and suffer forever.

Now he must feel like shit. He will be forever know as the boss from hell who got shot by ……..well no one will remember Garcia either.

Kozack got a heavy dose of Karma that’s for sure.

CPO Sharky on February 21, 2012 at 8:41 am

This is THE place to come to get the inside information on ICE. Great job as usual DS.

“To say morale is low in an understatement,” said another former Customs agent. “This is a huge problem, and there are major conflicts between the now separate ICE and CBP. The bureaucratic walls have multiplied.” – Government Executive, March 8, 2005

Bonzer Wolf on February 21, 2012 at 9:36 am

If true, Morton needs to be waterboarded. and given a good spanking by Deb. I’d post that to YouTube.com 🙂 Not good. Bad, very bad. A self-serving bitch boy-

Steve Epps on February 21, 2012 at 10:38 am

Debbie asks about Morton “And what’s the threat on his life?” I think I have an answer to that question. Morton probably isn’t quite as clueless as most may think. He’s probably known for a long time that there are many pissed off agents under his command that don’t like him. That Nancy-boy looking puke has probably been sh#tting his pants every day since Kozak was shot. He knows his time is up and he had better leave quick. I just hope the only job he can land is mop boy at his local porn shop.

Jarhead on February 21, 2012 at 10:44 am

John Moron is a real piece of work. He makes Bush-era predecessor Julie Myers look like an immigration patriot. What’s with ICE anyway?

Seek on February 21, 2012 at 11:04 am

Now might be the time to consider eliminating ICE as an agency altogether. Border Patrol can be tasked with doing the immigration related investigations and CBP can be tasked with conducting customs-based investigations (CBP already has seasoned investigators on board). The ICE employees can be placed under Border Patrol and tasked with the detention, maintenance, transportation, and court appearances of any aliens being processed through the system.

King David on February 21, 2012 at 11:51 am

    So essentially he will be doing nothing then? As there are no planned deportations anymore.

    Ed Harris on February 22, 2012 at 8:56 pm

Shooting? What shooting? Must have been an incident of “Workplace violence,”…..just like Ft. Hood.

To quote Sgt. Schultz, “I saw nothing, NOTHING”

Herbster on February 21, 2012 at 12:00 pm

Kozack,

Will get the blame for this whole thing for sure. He may or may not have culpability but since he is the only one left to blame he will get it for sure.

So tell me what did his life stand for? A total useless war on drugs?
His life means nothing now, he is trash to the system.

As retired DEA/USCS like me will tell you. The drug war is a waste of time

Legalize dope and let’s investigate the bankers and the politicians!

CPO Sharky on February 21, 2012 at 1:04 pm

I worked as an 1811 for Customs OI for almost 20 years before the creation of ICE in 2003, and I’m coming up on mandatory retirement at the end of the year. I loved Customs, but don’t love ICE, which is still searching for a mission almost a decade after it’s creation, and remains an agency best described as “jacks of all trades, masters of none”. Meanwhile, the FBI and other agencies are trying to steal our legacy authorities (the customs ones, not immigration!). No knock on my ex-INS colleagues, because they always operated under a handicap due to the politics associated with immigration enforcement, which I’ve now seen firsthand too. The merger never made sense, and America is worse off because of it, because customs and immigration are vastly different disciplines, and have little in common. Nothing Washington does will ever change that very important fact.

With this latest mess, coupled with the pay freeze and the upcoming hits on federal benefits, it’s time to go. Good luck to those who remain, because they’ll need it.

ICEd on February 21, 2012 at 1:07 pm

    ICEd,

    You sound like a Peewee Van Raab hire, like me. And like you, I am glad I’m out.

    WilliamMunny on February 22, 2012 at 9:17 am

      Right on! Promoted from Customs inspector to Special Agent in 1983. Will be leaving next year after 33 years of working for Uncle Sam. It’s mostly been a good run, but it’s time to pass the baton.

      ICEd on February 22, 2012 at 2:43 pm

Perhaps someone should report this to the Office of Inspector General…

Federale on February 21, 2012 at 1:47 pm

Who was the last LESS than one term President?

bill on February 21, 2012 at 3:32 pm

BTW,
Morton proves he could give shit about Kozack by this…..

but then EVERYONE will forget him and never call him as he wastes away on workmans comp.

THEY DON’T CARE ABOUT KOZACK OR OR ANYONE !

Garcia is dead, Kozack is fucked maybe worse than dead.
He wont be much of a lady’s man with his body like hamburger and his hand like a stump. he will be forever remembered as an asshole boss who got shot.
Right or wrong he will be persona non grata from now on.

In some strange way Garcia makes Kozack suffer a horrible life from now on as he RIP.

Glad I left DEA/USCS a long time ago. It was never this fucked up!
Never let it come to this people! quit and get a real job!

CPO Sharky on February 21, 2012 at 4:39 pm

Immigration enforcement program to be shut down

http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/story/2012-02-17/immigration-enforcement-program/53134284/1

Chris on February 21, 2012 at 7:04 pm

When it rains it pours, what else is new in Gotham?
Remember our country’s spiritual capital is now Chicago. As for taxpayers footing the dime perhaps it is justified if he is positioning himself to give Barack a job to fall back on in case the GOP gets lucky.

Ron Wolf on February 21, 2012 at 7:15 pm

OOPS. I forgot the old standbye about the rats being the first to leave ship.

Ron Wolf on February 21, 2012 at 7:17 pm

DS – what about SACLA Chief Counsel being banned from Oakley Sunglasses for demanding a 50% law enforcement discount. When he is denied he produces a badge identifying him as a ICE lawyer, curses security, and is removed This guy sits right in the middle of SACLA giving legal advice to Claude and Kozack, and he cannot keep it together while trying to buy sunglasses. What a crew, will someone do something?

fr3ed on February 21, 2012 at 9:26 pm

I know an agent that was temporarily on his detail and had no complaints (fairly easy gig, plus travel per diem, etc.) I don’t doubt DS had sources that said a non Gov employee was being chauffeured, but I’d be surprised if it were true. There’s no way the agent I knew on that temp detail would ever accede to that. As for the job hunting, you hope it isn’t true, although it appears likely. All of us are asked to give our full dedication and effort, if leadership isn’t giving the same, it sends the wrong message.

This agency is in a tough spot for a lot of reasons. The immigration issues grab the majority of headlines, although that is only around 30-40% of the work HSI does. Redefining ICE into ERO and HSI, which was the purpose behind all of this re-branding, is just more semantics. The underlying problems are affected by public perceptions, but not caused by them. The causes are still rooted in the creation of ICE.

The opportunity to start a new agency only happens once, and it was handled very poorly from the beginning. And although we (including myself) have always been quick to point to the flaws of Ridge/Chertoff/Meyers/Nobbs/Morton in making this agency what it is, to be fair the Bush appointees were given little time and even less money. You add that bad start to an administration that is only ambivalent about law enforcement in general and hostile towards immigration enforcement in particular you get the sticky mess we’re in now. But how do we get out?

I’ve said it on here before and I’ll say it again, we can plug whoever into the ICE Dir slot and we’ll still have the same maddening policies with this administration. People were so confident that Obama was going to lose, but things are looking better in the polls for him now. In a second term with nothing to lose, I can guarantee you that the administration would use all its power of the executive to deliver as close to amnesty as the law will allow without legislation. Truth is, I am more worried about what (and who) comes next. Worried for me, my children, and future generations.

please on February 21, 2012 at 10:43 pm

Focusing ICE’s immigration enforcement efforts on aliens with criminal records has been the “policy” of interior enforcement elements since my career started in 1987. Interior enforcement prior to the establisment of ICE focused on criminal aliens as well, status violators and simple illegal immigrants encountered by local police or otherwise encountered were routinely ignored. During the DC riots in the areas known to have high concentrations of illegal aliens, INS agents where forbidden to enter the city. State police who intercepted van loads of illegal aliens on the highways were told to release them as INS did not have the assets to respond. Criminal prosecution of illegal aliens for unlawfully re-entering the USA was virtually impossible as federal prosecutors routinely declined prosecution unless the individual had a substantial already existing criminal record. Federal prosecution of possesion of fraudulent documents, a federal felony, was seldom even contemplated except in the most extreme cases of criminal activity. Unfortunately for Mr Morton, this policy was not as well known.

ICE ERO and the EOIR have limited resources, with EOIR hearings currently experiencing backlogs in excess of a year (TRAC reporting). ERO capability to transport aliens for removal is also limited by budget and manpower and the ability to obtain travel documents. Mr Mortons and ICE’s focus on the all ready known criminal element is an efficient and effective use of limited government resources. ERO removals are currently being accomplished quicker and at lower costs then they have ever been done over the last 3 decades. More criminal aliens are being removed now more than ever previously recorded. ICE immigration criminal prosectutions are also setting record numbers, with ICE substantially prosecuting more individuals than the FBI and DEA combined.

Given the limited resources of the federal government, would you have focused your efforts on removing Hose-A who is standing on the corner hoping to get a job, or would you focus your effort on Hose-B who already has a criminal record?

TC on February 22, 2012 at 12:17 am

TC,

You must be his driver. Why not his personal guard?

Old SChool

Old School on February 22, 2012 at 1:28 am

Joining these two agencies was the beginning of the end for both. Couple that with the power-play politics of the beltway and it was doomed before it got out of the gate. Empire building and f**k-f**k games became the SOP.

More than glad to be gone…don’t much give a damn what happens with it anymore!

IceNoMore on February 23, 2012 at 11:23 am

Hi Debbie,

You certainly have some high-level informants. And if it is true that Mr. Morton was out job-hunting in the days afterward, it is very disgusting.

I want to add that I am dismayed at ICE leadership in the handling of this tragedy. I see that someone has created a web site for donations to GS Garcia’s family.

Where is the web site to donate to Mr. Kozak’s family? Where is the message from management to explain how to send condolences, well-wishes, etc.?

I know that someone from upper-level ICE management will be reading these messages.

SO, IF ANYONE IS LISTENING:

YOU CANNOT SIMPLY SEND OUT ONE CRYPTIC E-MAIL ABOUT THE TRADEGY AND THEN REFER EMPLOYEES TO EAP. IT IS NOT APPROPRIATE AT ALL. PLEASE SHOW US THAT YOU HAVE MORE JUDGMENT THAN THIS. MANY OF US KNOW THOSE INVOLVED. WE WANT TO SHOW OUR SUPPORT AND PAY OUR RESPECTS. ASSIGN SOMEONE TO BE THE “BRIDGE” TO ACCOMPLISH THIS. YOU CAN GET BACK TO THE FINGER-POINTING LATER.

JustSayNoToIce on February 24, 2012 at 4:06 pm

JustSayNoTolce,

What is yout opinion on you letting any illegal. To be able in anyway to get a CA DMV Drivers Licence and a L-Plate.

Does the Fed have the right to stop highway funding in this situation? Is so why not? Have you talked to your co-workers about this?

My (friend) do you have idea how much the Fed spends on your highway every day?. So much for your 401K.

So why is LAPD and the LA City Counsel so hot for this issues? Must be about the elections?

Old School

Old School on February 28, 2012 at 11:53 pm

its so sad. Visit the office, say a few words like someone merely fell of the swing at a playground and wisked away. Had your bodyguards stop employees from talking to you. Very nice. You gave like 5 minutes and then you were out of there. Then, you hang out at a Lakers game and 5-star restaurant after. Classy. Heard you mention you’re next in line for Secretary DHS or Justice.

LA Fed on March 8, 2012 at 10:22 pm

Reminds me of a tragedy in Customs in New Jersey years ago, when an undercover special agent was accidentially shot by a supervisor during a takedown, and paralyzed from the waist down for life. The regional boss visited the Newark office afterwards, and told the agent’s distraught colleagues that this was “an act of God”, instead of admitting that it was really an act of carelessness and stupidity. To put it mildly, the boss was shocked by the angry response to his intended comforting words.

ICEd on March 9, 2012 at 3:42 pm

How about the childish policy by ICE Policy of not allowing former ICE SAs (that transferred within DHS), the opportunity to receive their former ICE SA Badge in Lucite at the time of their retirement.

It’s only a $8.00 piece of tin, but I put my life on the line everyday, have several trauma scars and would have liked to pass the badge along to my heirs.

It also makes it worse when ICE is destroying all the remaining ICE SA Badges due to the new HSI badge.

FormerUSCS SSA on March 14, 2012 at 10:32 pm

And now there is a 18 month detail at HQ for a security detail for Morton. GS 13 and 14 ranked people will get the job title of Program Manager for the job of driving people around. Fraud, waste and abuse of tax payer monies if you ask me.

inLA on March 19, 2012 at 1:25 am

ICE is a joke. Employees are disrespected, treated unfairly, and anyone with a backbone is removed. I voted for this administration and thought the political appointees would be better. I would now like to see these guys out of office and someone with some sense running this agency. ICE should be abolished.

Sorry I work for ICE on April 7, 2012 at 6:50 pm

In January 2013, the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Central District of California responded to the FBI’s report of investigation into the February 16, 2012 shooting. Upon review of all the facts: Kozak, Woo, Garcia, any other facts: myths, theories, racism, cover ups etc and found insufficient evidence that Woo committed any crimes. The Attorney’s Office also found an overwhelming evidence that Woo protected himself and others (Kozak) from a deadly situation. The U.S. Attorney’s Office and FBI Los Angeles have promptly closed their cases.

A tragic event of workplace violence from a man who chose his destiny and committed the unthinkable.

As we are only 3 days away from the one year anniversary of the shooting, let’s all try and love and care for one another in law enforcement and help prevent something like this from happening again.

I hope my post ends this long thread of conspiracy theory and that the surviving agents and all affected heal and move on.

TRUTH on February 13, 2013 at 2:16 pm

Thanks to my father who shared ?ith me about this webpage, this weblog ?s tr?ly amazing.

Family Poems on February 8, 2014 at 11:18 pm

Leave a Reply

* denotes required field