Sheriff David Clarke reverses acceptance of Homeland Security role: report

Milwaukee Sheriff David Clarke has reportedly withdrawn from consideration for the role of deputy secretary at the Department of Homeland Security, according to a new report.

An adviser to Clarke told The Washington Post that the sheriff had officially notified Secretary of Homeland Security John Kelly late Friday that he had rescinded his acceptance.

Clarke told conservative radio host Vicki McKenna during an interview last month that he had accepted the role of deputy secretary of Homeland Security.

“I’m both honored and humbled to be appointed to this position by Secretary Kelly, working for the Trump administration,” he previously said.

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Clarke was expected to start the role at the end of June, but a source told The Post that the appointment faced significant delays, which led to Clarke’s decision to withdraw.

During the 2016 presidential race, Clarke supported President Trump, and he has praised him since the inauguration. At the Conservative Political Action Conference in February, Clarke spoke of his support for Trump’s executive orders on immigration. He would have worked with such policies had he been confirmed for the Homeland Security job.

Clarke has been a controversial figure over his past comments, including calling Black Lives Matter a hate group. He was also accused of plagiarizing parts of his master’s thesis for using language from sources without properly attributing them.