A series of Channel 2 Action News reports over the last six months now has one Georgia Congressman calling for the resignation of the Transportation and Safety Administration's top man.

Rep. Paul Broun of Athens first called for John Pistole's resignation in an exclusive interview with Channel 2 investigative reporter Aaron Diamant.

"I'm fed up," Broun said. "The American public should be fed up. Mr. Pistole, I think, should resign, and I call for his resignation, right now, today."

That call to oust Pistole came just moments after Diamant clued him in on the TSA allowing workers at Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport to be hired before background checks were complete.

Diamant also showed Broun new pictures, sent to Channel 2 Action News by a whistle-blower, of unsealed catering carts waiting to be loaded on to planes at Hartsfield-Jackson, which air safety experts have called an ongoing security threat.

"It's intolerable, absolutely intolerable," Broun said. "The American people deserve better than this."

A letter Broun sent directly to Pistole this week, cited concerns raised in a Channel 2 Action News investigation, recent reports of overzealous pat-downs, and allegations of corrupt agents at other airports as the basis for his demand.

In a written statement sent to Channel 2 Action News, a United States Department of Homeland Security spokesperson said, "John Pistole is a highly respected member of our nation's counter-terrorism community. He came to TSA with more than 25 years of law enforcement experience, most recently serving as the Deputy Director of the FBI.

"In just under two years at TSA, Mr. Pistole has significantly strengthened transportation security for all Americans. He has fully implemented Secure Flight and the Certified Cargo Screening Program and has ushered in a strategic and risk-based approach to aviation security through programs like TSA Pre?™.

"The Secretary and the Administration have the utmost confidence in Mr. Pistole's leadership and his commitment to ensuring the safety of all Americans."

Broun's call for Pistole to step down is now getting picked up by Washington and national media.

"That gets the White House's attention, the temperatures rise," said Channel 2 Action News political analyst Bill Crane. "The president is not going to carry a Cabinet member who's heavy baggage, TSA director or not, into November."

Crane said TSA's recent troubles could become a significant campaign issue.

"If this continues to percolate, and other scandals and other issues come forward, certainly, you could expect a resignation," Crane said.

TSA took another big hit this week.

A House committee grilled TSA officials over tens of millions of dollars in unused screening equipment stored at a warehouse in Texas, in some cases, for years.
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