How WikiLeaks Once Helped Reveal Texas Secrets About DPS

Editor's note, April 11, 2019: With WikiLeaks founder Julius Assange under arrest, it's easy forget the treasure trove of government secrets that were unleashed -- even here in Texas. Four years ago, Watchdog Dave Lieber dug into the documents and reported this previously-unknown story showing how favoritism was involved in the creation of a secret surveillance program to protect Texas landmarks and more. This story appeared April 25, 2015.Is the Texas Department of Public Safety spying on law-abiding Texans?That’s a question The Watchdog is asking, especially after I watched how DPS botched its unauthorized collection of fingerprints of all Texans applying for driver’s licenses and identification cards.After I exposed the practice, state lawmakers persuaded DPS Director Steven McCraw to abandon the unlawful collection. McCraw is a former FBI field agent and former director of a federal terrorism task force. This stuff is part of who he is.If DPS believed it could collect fingerprints of innocent Texans, what else is DPS doing?The Watchdog examined public records and leaked emails from WikiLeaks and asked questions to get answers.  Continue reading...