Over the course of back-to-back hearings, Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem faced intense grilling from both sides of the aisle.
Rep. Joe Neguse (D-Colo.) tried to pin down why Noem hired a days-old company for a multimillion-dollar ad campaign. Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) labeled her tenure a “disaster” and upbraided her for writing in her memoir about how she shot her dog. Multiple Democratic lawmakers, led by Rep. Sydney Kamlager-Dove (D-Calif.), asked Noem whether she had an extramarital affair with Corey Lewandowski, her advisor, subordinate and so-called “special government employee.”
Noem, whose husband was sitting directly behind her during that questioning, didn’t deny the substance of those reports, which she called “tabloid garbage.”
As Allison Gill and I discussed on Wednesday, Noem appeared to get a pass over one of her many scandals: The Department of Homeland Security’s habitual practice during her tenure of attacking criminal defendants before their trial, which federal judges denounced on multiple occasions.
The federal judges presiding over the cases of Kilmar Abrego Garcia and Rep. LaMonica McIver (D-N.J.) had to rebuke the Department of Homeland Security for prejudicing their rights to a fair trial.
Granted, lawmakers had a long list of grievances to address, including the arrests of U.S. citizens, the shooting deaths of Alex Pretti and Renee Good, and the agency’s violation of more than 50 court orders.
During our conversation, Allison Gill and I discussed why trampling upon the presumption of innocence also deserved oversight and accountability. We also discussed Abrego’s recent vindictive prosecution hearing and the government’s appeal of a ruling giving wrongly expelled immigrants an opportunity to return to the United States.
