Former Obama Border Patrol Chief Says Nielsen’s Exit Will ‘Jump Start’ DHS

Former Obama Border Patrol Chief Says Nielsen’s Exit Will ‘Jump Start’ DHS
Mark Morgan, chief of the US Border Patrol, testifies at a Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee hearing on "Initial Observations of the New Leadership at the US Border Patrol" on Capitol Hill in Washington, on Nov. 30, 2016. (Nicholas Kamm/AFP/Getty Images)

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Former Border Patrol Chief Mark Morgan claimed Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen’s exit will “jump start” the Department of Homeland Security, during a Monday interview on “Fox & Friends.”

“I think any time you have a change at that level, I think it kind of gives it a jump start and maybe a new direction,” Morgan said.

(RELATED: Kirstjen Nielsen Resigns As Homeland Security Chief)

“What I’ll say about Kevin is he’s an extremely intelligent guy,” he continued. “I used to joke around he’s lost more IQ points than I’ll ever have. And what he brings that’s unique is over a decade of specific border security experience. And he’s very skilled at kind of managing D.C. politics on both sides of the aisle. So it’s a good fit.”

“He served as the deputy commissioner of [Customs and Border Protection] before he became commissioner. So he was there on the ground floor and I was actually with him in a different capacity in 2014 when this influx and this crisis began of unaccompanied minor and family units,” Morgan said. “So he has been there on the ground floor and has seen this and been there every day working hard since 2014 through this crisis, from the start to where we are at now. So I think he brings that unique perspective.”

By Nick Givas