Continuing to govern via the social network he owns, President Trump announced on Truth Social that he is firing Kristi Noem as head of the Department of Homeland Security effective March 31. In her place, he is nominating Oklahoma’s junior senator, Markwayne Mullin, a 2020 election skeptic.
Contradicting Noem’s Senate testimony this week, Trump told Reuters that “he did not sign off on a $220 million border security ?advertising campaign featuring” Noem.
In one of the exchanges over the contracts, U.S. Senator John Kennedy, a Republican from Louisiana, asked Noem if Trump had approved the commercials.
“The president approved ahead of time you spending $220 million running TV ads across the country in which you are featured prominently?” ?Kennedy asked Noem.
“Yes, sir. We went through the legal processes, did it correctly,” Noem replied.
“To me it puts the president in a terribly awkward spot,” Kennedy told Noem, expressing disbelief that the president would agree to the ad campaign.
Kennedy spoke to Trump on Tuesday night and said he was “not a happy camper.”
“The president’s recollection and her recollection are distinctly different,” he said.
Notably, Mullin has a career in both plumbing and real estate, and he is a multi-millionaire.
Known for gnawing at complex questions like a terrier with a bone. Digital evangelist, writer, teacher. Transplanted Southerner; teach newbies to ride motorcycles. @kegill (Twitter and Mastodon.social); wiredpen.com