Alejandro Mayorkas was chosen today to be DHS Secretary today by @JoeBiden. A littleabout "Ali" from someone who spent four days with him on jury duty.

A few years ago, I was chosen for jury duty in DC courts. The case was an armed robbery + narcotics. During the case I was seated next to someone I couldn’t quite put my finger on.

This man had this quiet, knowledgeable, commanding aura about him. He obliquely referenced past work as a prosecutor in Los Angeles. Even with that background, the entire jury instantly chose him to be our foreman.

He never once said he was senior DHS official at the time. Nor did he steer conversation toward the defendant or prosecution. He had a perspective but he wanted us to reach our own conclusion. He facilitated a thoughtful, respectful conversation through 3 days of deliberations.

We all thanked him at the end of our deliberations. I was so impressed by him, I went Googling to see if I could find an "Ali" in California law enforcement. Two days later, I open up the newspaper and he's featured in a front page story.

I tracked down his email and sent him a note about my experience and how much I appreciated his selfless stewardship of the jury. He instantly responded, graciously and warmly. Ali is the model of public service.

ps: here was his response: "Thank you very much for your kind note, which means a lot to me. It was a pleasure to meet you, and we certainly met under interesting circumstances. I would welcome the chance to grab a cup of coffee....
Thanks again for your note.
Ali, Juror No. 2"