A stunning report reveals that Sen. Jeanne Shaheen’s husband, William Shaheen, quietly leapt from a TSA surveillance list to the federal government’s privileged traveler program—despite once traveling with a man the FBI flagged as a known or suspected terrorist.
Shaheen, a prominent Lebanese-American attorney and spouse of the senior New Hampshire Democrat, landed on the TSA’s “Quiet Skies” list for what appeared to be legitimate security concerns. That program, launched in 2010, allows air marshals to flag travelers who exhibit potential national security risks—including people who associate with suspected extremists.
One such associate was Shaheen’s unnamed travel companion, described only as an “Arab-American attorney.” The FBI had reportedly identified this man as a national security concern. By association, Shaheen himself became the subject of enhanced screening.
But that didn’t last long.
In October 2023, air marshals were assigned to monitor Shaheen during travel from Boston. Within 48 hours, he was mysteriously bumped from the Quiet Skies list and added to the “Secure Flight Exclusion List”—a VIP roster that exempts people from TSA surveillance, including random security checks. The reason? A phone call from his powerful wife.
Senator Shaheen placed a call to then-TSA Administrator David Pekoske, a Biden appointee. Pekoske was removed by President Trump earlier this year.
Shaheen’s office now claims she had no knowledge her husband had ever been flagged—or that he had been granted elite travel status in response to her call. But the timing is hard to ignore.
While William Shaheen got VIP clearance, other Americans—like current Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard—found themselves on the Quiet Skies list for far less. Gabbard landed on the list after criticizing the Biden administration for its heavy-handed use of federal surveillance against political opponents. Her placement was widely viewed as retribution.
For William Shaheen, however, traveling with a man flagged by the FBI wasn’t disqualifying. With one phone call, he was removed from scrutiny altogether.
The Quiet Skies program is controversial, but it was designed to prevent serious threats from slipping through the cracks. Air marshals are trained to observe everything from nervous sweating and odd bathroom use to travelers suddenly changing directions in airports. Those who land on the list are meant to be discreetly monitored—not rewarded with express travel privileges.
Shaheen’s lightning-fast upgrade raises uncomfortable questions: Was national security undermined for political convenience? And how many other VIPs have quietly been exempted from rules that average Americans are forced to follow?
Trump’s administration appears to be correcting course. Officials have now confirmed that William Shaheen has been stripped of his special treatment and is back to flying like the rest of us—with TSA checks and all.
For the record, Sen. Jeanne Shaheen is not just any Democrat. She’s the top Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. That’s right—the woman overseeing international security and diplomacy just got caught helping her husband bypass counterterrorism protocols.
This episode is yet another reminder that the left’s rules are for the little people. If you’re politically connected, even potential security red flags can be waved away.
The Biden-era swamp may have handed out travel perks to their pals, but under Trump, those days appear to be numbered.