President-Elect Donald J. Trump meets with fiery Milwaukee Sheriff David Clarke as he mulls Homeland Security pick

Sheriff David Clarke of Milwaukee County, Wis., salutes the audience before a speech at the National Rifle Association convention in May. (Photo: Mark Humphrey/AP)

Story by Yahoo
Written by Liz Goodwin

Donald Trump is meeting with Milwaukee County Sheriff David Clarke at Trump Tower on Monday afternoon as he seeks to fill out his remaining Cabinet positions.

Clarke, who has called the Black Lives Matter movement “vile” and “slimy,” is reportedly in the running to lead the Department of Homeland Security and its 240,000 employees, who span immigration enforcement, the U.S. Secret Service, the TSA and other functions.

Clarke, who ran for sheriff as a Democrat, has become a hero in the conservative movement in recent years for opposing the Black Lives Matter movement and efforts to reform the criminal justice system. In a fiery July speech at the Republican National Convention, Clarke brought the crowd to its feet as he chanted “Blue Lives Matter,” a reference to police uniforms. He celebrated the acquittal of a Baltimore police officer in the death of Freddie Gray during the speech.

“These are truths that are self-evident to me, and which I practice, and they are the truths that Donald Trump understands and supports,” he said. “Donald Trump is the steadfast leader our nation needs.”

Clarke is currently in charge of about 250 officers and is the author of a soon-to-be-released memoir called “Cop Under Fire.” In it, he argues that U.S. citizens suspected of terrorism should be treated as “enemy combatants” and tried in military tribunals, not U.S. courts, according to a summary of the book in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Clarke proposed creating a new federal agency to track down homegrown terrorists that reports directly to the White House.

Like Trump, Clarke has occasionally had an adversarial relationship with the press. When questioned about a claim in his upcoming memoir by local reporter Daniel Bice, Clarke responded by email: “Bice your obsession with me is an illness and you are in need of professional help.” He said the reporter reminded him of attempted presidential assassin John Hinckley Jr., who stalked actress Jodie Foster. “Make sure you quote me on this Bice,” he added.

David Clarke addresses delegates at the Republican National Convention in July. (Photo: Carolyn Kaster/AP)

Trump is also reportedly considering Rep. Mike McCaul, chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee, for the Homeland Security position. On Monday, he also met with Frances Townsend, a Homeland Security official under George W. Bush, and earlier this month, Trump met with Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach, another contender for the role. Kobach was photographed holding a sheet of paper apparently revealing some plans for the department, which included barring all Syrian refugees from the U.S. and reinstating a registry for visitors from “high risk” countries.