Meet Nelson Armando

Nelson Armando has been a controversial figure from day one.

Prior to being appointed U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security by President Alan Wagner he served in a similar role in New York State and as a small-town mayor.

Armando was a major donor and fundraiser for President Wagner and helped him become the first Republican presidential candidate to carry New York State since Ronald Reagan in 1984.

He has been known to take controversial positions, and those positions led to a narrow, hotly contested confirmation vote. Most conservative Senators voted against Armando even though he was nominated by a Republican President, but he garnered enough votes from Democrats to win confirmation by a razor-thin margin.