Michael Chertoff Quotes

A collection of quotes by Michael Chertoff.

Michael Chertoff is an American lawyer, former government official, and author. He was born on November 28, 1953, in Elizabeth, New Jersey. Chertoff attended Harvard University, where he earned a bachelor's degree in 1975, and then went on to study law at Harvard Law School, obtaining his J.D. degree in 1978.

Chertoff's career in public service began in the 1980s when he served as a clerk for Judge Murray Gurfein on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit. He then became an assistant U.S. attorney for the District of New Jersey, followed by a tenure as special counsel to the U.S. Senate Whitewater Committee.

In 2001, Chertoff was appointed by President George W. Bush to serve as the Assistant Attorney General for the Criminal Division at the U.S. Department of Justice. He played a significant role in the U.S. government's response to the September 11, 2001 attacks, especially in matters related to counterterrorism.

In 2005, Chertoff was confirmed as the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS), a position he held until 2009. As Secretary, he worked on strengthening border security, enhancing cybersecurity measures, and improving emergency preparedness and response capabilities.

Following his time in government, Chertoff co-founded the risk management and security consulting company, The Chertoff Group. He has also written several books on topics such as national security, privacy, and terrorism.

Overall, Michael Chertoff's career has been focused on law enforcement, counterterrorism, and national security, making him a prominent figure in American politics and public service.

We may have to force people to get together in terms of pick

We may have to force people to get together in terms of picking a particular type of technology and starting to build to that technology, as opposed to everybody exercising their right to buy their own system, you know, at will.

Michael Chertoff


Well, I think first of all there was a failure to have real,

Well, I think first of all there was a failure to have real, clear information at our disposal. There was a real lack of situational awareness. We didn't have the capabilities on the ground to give us real-time, accurate assessments of the physical condition of the city.

Michael Chertoff

Failure

Second, there are two problems with respect to mobile homes

Second, there are two problems with respect to mobile homes in particular. One is we obviously don't want to put them in a flood plain, because if there's another flood, you're going to lose the mobile home.

Michael Chertoff

Respect

I think the idea that you can go this alone is - was a huge

I think the idea that you can go this alone is - was a huge mistake. And unfortunately, there was a price paid in terms of suffering and pain for people in New Orleans.

Michael Chertoff

Alone

We've done it in intelligence sharing and certain elements o

We've done it in intelligence sharing and certain elements of security. There were parts of the department, in fact, that worked very well in Katrina, like the Coast Guard and TSA.

Michael Chertoff

Intelligence

We've certainly learned a lot of lessons from Katrina, from

We've certainly learned a lot of lessons from Katrina, from Rita. Rita was better than Katrina. We're doing a better job planning. We're closer - more closely aligned with the Department of Defense. These things would be positive things if we were to have another attack.

Michael Chertoff

Positive