President Donald Trump has announced Kristi Noem’s replacement as head of the Department of Homeland Security amid bipartisan concerns about her management.
Trump has tapped Oklahoma Republican Sen. Markwayne Mullin to become the new secretary of Homeland Security.
“The current Secretary, Kristi Noem, who has served us well, and has had numerous and spectacular results (especially on the Border!), will be moving to be Special Envoy for The Shield of the Americas, our new Security Initiative in the Western Hemisphere we are announcing on Saturday in Doral, Florida,” Trump said. “I thank Kristi for her service at ‘Homeland.’”
“As the only Native American in the Senate, Markwayne is a fantastic advocate for our incredible Tribal Communities,” Trump said. “Markwayne will work tirelessly to Keep our Border Secure, Stop Migrant Crime, Murderers, and other Criminals from illegally entering our Country, End the Scourge of Illegal Drugs and, MAKE AMERICA SAFE AGAIN.”
This comes the day after Sen. John Kennedy, R-La., grilled Noem at a hearing about using $220 million in taxpayer dollars to fund ads featuring herself. Noem said Trump knew about the ad, but he told Reuters in a phone interview that “he never knew anything about it.”
At the same hearing, Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C, accused Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem of “failure of leadership.”
Tillis specifically accused Noem of failing to “acknowledge when mistakes are made and speaking too soon for the expediency of social media.”
