Why DHS secretary Kristi Noem lost Trump’s trust

Noman Sabit: Kristi Noem’s assertion at a Senate hearing Tuesday that President Trump had given his blessing to a $220 million Department of Homeland Security (DHS) advertising campaign promoting Noem’s leadership was the final straw that cost the DHS secretary her job on Thursday, according to Republican senators and other sources familiar with the events.

Trump considered firing Noem after the fatal shootings of two protesters by federal officers in Minneapolis in January, but he held off because he didn’t want to appear as giving in to Democrats’ demands for her resignation, according to sources familiar with Trump’s deliberations.

Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) on Thursday acknowledged that conversations about Noem’s future had been going on for “a while.”

“There’s been conversations going on, I think, for a while and I haven’t been privy to all of them but I’m aware of some of the discussions,” he said.

One GOP senator who requested anonymity said that Noem’s claim that Trump personally approved the controversial ads was the “last straw” because it had the effect of “dragging” the president into a potential scandal.

The $220 million taxpayer-funded advertising campaign has come under scrutiny because the Department of Homeland Security skipped the normal competitive bidding process and awarded the ad to the Strategy Group, a firm that has ties to Noem’s political operation.

Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.), a member of the Judiciary Committee, said the appearance that Noem may have steered business to friends and allies is troubling.

“I think there are appearances we’ll have to work through,” he said. “I’ve got to believe some of those factors weighed into the ultimate decision in the White House.”

“It certainly looks bad,” he said.

Tillis said he didn’t buy Noem’s explanation that she was not closely involved in awarding the contract given that she has established a policy at the Department of Homeland Security requiring her to personally review all contracts worth more than $100,000.

“The problem is she undermined her own credibility by saying she reviews everything in detail … but she knew nothing about a $200 million transaction. How do you work those two?” he said.

Republican lawmakers were further alarmed when they received word that Noem had refused to cooperate with the Department of Homeland Security’s inspector general when he tried to investigate the matter, according to Senate GOP sources.

“We’ve received communication from the DHS IG that he’s not getting cooperation in his investigation,” a Republican senator told The Hill, explaining why Noem’s advertising campaign began ringing alarm bells among GOP senators on Capitol Hill.

The issue was thrust into the spotlight Tuesday when Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.), a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, grilled Noem over the ad, decrying it as a waste of taxpayers’ money and demanding to know if Trump had approved of it.

Trump’s allies later described the president as “livid” and “pissed” after Noem claimed at the hearing that Trump had indeed signed off on the massive campaign that featured Noem riding a horse in front of Mt. Rushmore.

Trump called GOP senators soon after the hearing to float potential replacements for Noem, including Sen. Markwayne Mullin (R-Okla.), whom he announced on Thursday would be nominated to serve as the next secretary of Homeland Security.

The president privately assured Senate Republicans that he would never have signed off on such a large taxpayer-funded campaign that came across to allies on Capitol Hill as a public relations exercise to bolster Noem’s image.

Trump also told Reuters in an interview: “I never knew anything about it.”

Some Republicans on Capitol Hill are worried that if Noem mishandled taxpayer money or violated contracting rules in awarding the advertising contract, it could provide ammo for Democratic investigators if they win back the House in the November elections.

Noem’s claim that Trump knew about and approved the controversial contract would give House Democrats a reason to expand a potential investigation to include the president.

Republican lawmakers say that Trump began privately signaling his displeasure with Noem over her handling of the fatal shooting of Alex Pretti, a 37-year-old intensive care nurse who was shot multiple times in the back by federal officers.

Noem called Pretti “a domestic terrorist” who tried “to inflict maximum damage on individuals and to kill law enforcement,” despite widely circulated video footage of the incident that contradicted her claims.

Trump reduced Noem’s role over the immigration enforcement operations by sending White House border czar Tom Homan to Minneapolis to take charge, effectively sidelining his secretary of Homeland Security.

The White House at the time, however, fiercely disputed that Trump was backing down in the face of fierce Democratic criticism of the immigration crackdown.

Trump insisted in late January that Noem was doing a “very good job.”

Asked at the time if she would step down, the president answered simply: “No.”

But in a sign that Noem had fallen out of the president’s favor, she remained silent at a Jan. 29 Cabinet meeting during the height of the public uproar over the Minneapolis shootings. Some White House observers saw it as a sign that her days in office were numbered.

Two Republican senators, Tillis and Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska), called on Noem to step down as head of Homeland Security.

“I think she’s out of her depth, she’s proven that. She doesn’t know how to lead, how to de-escalate. She’s exposing ICE officers to dangerous situations, she’s exposing U.S. citizens to deadly situations,” Tillis told reporters in late January.

Murkowski, who voted to confirm Noem last year, said: “I would not support her again and I think it probably is time for her to step down.”

“She needs to go,” Murkowski added, pointing to Noem’s claims that Pretti was a domestic terrorist. “Rhetoric like that does not help. … She’s taken a direction that has not been helpful to the situation.”

Democrats have blocked funding for the Department of Homeland Security since it lapsed on Feb. 14 and demanded a 10-point list of reforms to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border Protection in exchange for reopening the department.

Thune on Thursday said he hopes that Trump’s decision to replace Noem will give Democrats a compelling reason to agree to a Homeland Security funding deal.

“This move by the administration should be a major step. That’s one of the things they’ve all been asking for,” he said, referring to Democratic demands that Trump fire Noem.

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