"Trump handed down his decision after Noem spent two days floundering under questioning in Congress, during which lawmakers from both parties made her out to be an unqualified, amoral disgrace to her job. Republicans and Democrats excoriated her for accusing Alex Pretti of domestic terrorism after Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents shot him to death, bringing additional pain on his grieving family."
"GOP Sen. Thom Tillis called for Noem's resignation, comparing the killings of Pretti and Renee Good under her leadership to the time she killed her own dog for misbehaving. Sen. John Kennedy, a Republican from Louisiana, gave her grief for spending more than $200 million on an ad campaign that boosted her public profile and funneled public funds to a Noem-connected company."
"Noem said under oath that ICE was complying with court orders, even though one judge determined that the agency had violated orders 96 times in January alone. 'Either you are utterly incompetent, or you are violating laws with impunity,' Sen. Cory Booker told her."
Kristi Noem became the first Cabinet casualty of Trump's second term when he announced her removal as head of the Department of Homeland Security. Her departure followed two days of intense congressional scrutiny where lawmakers from both parties criticized her leadership. Noem faced accusations of mishandling ICE operations, including falsely accusing a man of domestic terrorism after agents killed him, and overseeing a $200 million ad campaign that benefited a company connected to her. She also testified that ICE was complying with court orders despite evidence of 96 violations in January alone. Sen. Markwayne Mullin of Oklahoma will replace her, while Noem receives a newly created position as special envoy for the Shield of the Americas.
#cabinet-resignation #department-of-homeland-security #congressional-oversight #ice-misconduct #government-spending
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