By David Shepardson

WASHINGTON (Reuters) -The Trump administration said Tuesday it is removing five senior officials on suspicion of targeting former president Joe Biden’s political opponents with a now-abolished aviation security watchlist.

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said she was referring the issue to the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division and to Congress for further investigation.

The Transportation Security Administration’s “Quiet Skies” program, scrapped in June, had required enhanced screening for some air passengers deemed to be a higher security risk.

Noem, whose department includes the TSA, said the program cost $200 million annually and had been used to “target political opponents and benefit political allies.”

Her department said that, under Biden, the

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