High Stakes, and a Low Bar, For Markwayne Mullin at DHS

"During 14 months of Kristi Noem's tenure at the Department of Homeland Security, I regularly heard from staffers-career law-enforcement officers and political appointees alike-who were desperate for a return to institutional normalcy. Their concerns weren't ideological. They felt, instead, that Noem was running the department and its law-enforcement agencies as an attention-grabbing spectacle, undermining their mission."

"Mullin is a former mixed-martial-arts fighter, a current fighter for Trump, and a guy who once tried to throw down against the president of the Teamsters union in the middle of a committee hearing, shouting, 'Stand your butt up!' before Bernie Sanders had to rein him in. And whatever else he may be, he is not a veteran bureaucrat."

"She leaves DHS, and its more than 260,000 employees across 23 agencies and subagencies, in a state of crisis. The department has been caught in a funding shutdown since February 14."

During Kristi Noem's 14-month tenure as DHS Secretary, career law-enforcement officers and political appointees expressed concerns that she operated the department as an attention-grabbing spectacle rather than focusing on institutional mission. Staff complaints centered on questionable decisions including a Salvadoran megaprison appearance, white-nationalist messaging from her public-affairs team, social-media focused border operations, dubious media contracts, luxury jet use, and Corey Lewandowski's shadow influence. Following Noem's ouster, President Trump nominated Republican Senator Markwayne Mullin of Oklahoma as her replacement. Mullin, a former mixed-martial-arts fighter known for aggressive confrontations including a near-altercation with a Teamsters union president during a committee hearing, lacks traditional bureaucratic experience. His confirmation appears certain with Democratic support from Senator John Fetterman. DHS faces ongoing challenges including a funding shutdown since February 14.

Read at The Atlantic